NCJ Number
134951
Date Published
1991
Length
121 pages
Annotation
Results from survey of Chicago police lieutenants were used to determine the impact of shift work on the health of individual police officers. This study also employed an extensive literature search in the fields of chronobiology, medicine, ergonomics, behavioral sciences, and police administration.
Abstract
The first section provides an overview of shift work and factors which lead to greater or lesser adaptability and coping ability to deal with work by individual officers. The health impact of shift work can be seen in circadian factors, disturbed sleep patterns, and cardiovascular disease. The safety of shift work is examined in other fields including nuclear reactor personnel, railroad employees, marine accidents, and highway accidents. Other chapters explore the relationship between stress and shift work, particularly for police officers, potential improvements for agency shift schedules, and police management and shift work. The study included a survey of shift assignments of most police departments across the country. This author recommends abandoning the use of shift periods in order to avoid future health problems. Chapter references