[Medical hygiene measures in organizing shift work taking circadian rhythms into account].

Nowadays the share of workers engaged in shift work in the GDR constitutes 37% of all those working in production. It is pointed out that this share will increase. Scientific validation of necessary activities aimed at the organization of material, time-dependent and social labor conditions for those working by shifts has been one of the most important objectives of the study in occupational hygiene of the GDR. Circadian rhythms and associated biological and social desynchronization processes are of primary importance for planning a shift cycle, determining favorable individual preconditions to shift work, assessing health impact of detrimental factors combined with shift labor in the production process. The latest research on the evaluation of the shift system of work, involving prolonged shifts, and on the impact of individual daily rhythms on fitness to shift work is presented.