TNO Quality of Life, Hoofddorp, the Netherlands.
Ergonomics. 2010 Jun;53(6):727-38. doi: 10.1080/00140139.2010.489651.
This article reports a field study of a shift roster change in a large steel producer. The changes in the roster are threefold: (1) from backward rotating to forward rotating; (2) from rather slow (three) to fast rotating (two consecutive shifts); (3) the number of days off after the night shifts was changed from two to three. Company data cover 1 year before and 1 year after the implementation of the new roster and involve all employees in the five-shift system (4600 workers) and all daytime workers (1450 workers) in technical and maintenance jobs as a control group. The study reports a decrease in absence figures (particularly on midterm sickness absence) of in total 0.6%. Furthermore, improvements in health indicators are presented, such as fatigue, musculoskeletal complaints, relationship work and health and workload in the year after implementation of the new roster. These positive effects are stronger for older workers (50 + years old). The results were significantly more positive for the shift workers compared with the control group. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: This article reports an evaluation study of the largest continuous roster change in the Netherlands for decades: 4600 employees at Corus changed from a slowly backward rotating schedule to a fast forward rotating schedule. The effects are mainly positive (0.6% less absence in the first year; less fatigue). A positive association with age was also found: older workers benefit more.
这篇文章报道了一项针对大型钢铁生产商轮班时间表变更的现场研究。轮班时间表的变化有三个方面：（1）从反向旋转变为正向旋转；（2）从相对较慢（三班倒）变为快速旋转（两班连续倒）；（3）夜班后的休息日从两天改为三天。公司数据涵盖了新时间表实施前一年和后一年，涉及所有五班制员工（4600 名工人）和技术及维修岗位的所有白班工人（1450 名工人）作为对照组。研究报告称，缺勤人数（特别是中期病假缺勤人数）减少了 0.6%。此外，还呈现了健康指标的改善情况，例如疲劳、肌肉骨骼投诉、工作关系和健康以及新时间表实施后的工作量。对于年龄较大的工人（50 岁以上），这些积极影响更为明显。与对照组相比，轮班工人的结果更为积极。相关性说明：本文报道了荷兰几十年来最大规模的连续轮班时间表变更的评估研究：Corus 的 4600 名员工从缓慢的反向旋转时间表转变为快速的正向旋转时间表。这些影响主要是积极的（第一年缺勤率降低 0.6%；疲劳感减轻）。还发现了与年龄的积极关联：年龄较大的工人受益更多。
