Browsing: Shift work | Page 18

Women who work excessive hours are significantly more likely to develop four types of chronic diseases, including heart disease, a major study has found.

Employers are being warned against dropping workplace pre-start stretching programs, after some recent negative research on the issue. When performed correctly and regularly, stretching can have significant long-term benefits for workers and employers, an exercise physiologist says.

Psychological distress among employees and managers costs the Australian coal mining industry nearly 10 per cent of its pre-tax operating profit, but intervention programs are cost-effective, a unique study has found.

Night shifts can "flatten" workers' diurnal cortisol levels - a phenomenon previously linked to cancer, PTSD and other disorders, a study has found.

The Queensland Coroner has, in an inquest into a worker's death, called for employers to treat workers as casualties as soon as they're affected by heat, criticised "buddy" systems, and said he was "startled" to discover that there was no construction-industry standard relating to high temperatures.

An employer has been refused permission to amend its fatigue management procedures to reduce the number of rest breaks per shift, because it failed to obtain unanimous agreement from a cross-section of workers.

• Shift workers warned against caffeine vicious circle; and
  
• Should the WHS Act be extended to Seacare?

Employers should target vascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure and smoking, to reduce the high risk of stroke among employees who work long hours, according to an international study of more than 600,000 workers.

A worker who was required to stand "essentially in one place" all day has successfully reclaimed workers' compensation for a heel injury, in a case - according to a lawyer - that highlights the importance of employers providing and routinely monitoring safety mats and shoes.

Australian researchers have warned that long working hours contribute to poor mental health and need to be regulated, but the Productivity Commission's draft workplace relations report, released yesterday, found that current restrictions are adequate.