Human aspects of shift work in the developing countries--I: A case study in Bangladesh

There currently is little information available that allows objective prediction of psychosocial risks and benefits associated with the shift work in the developing countries. To provide such information, this study assessed possible differential effects of fatigue associated with the shift workers' attitude, job satisfaction, psychosocial problems, and other difficulties. Data were collected from the subjective responses on various scales using questionnaire among sixty adult male subjects working on a weekly rotating three-shift system in a shoe factory in Bangladesh. The results indicated that shift work is associated with negative aspects of disturbing their family, conjugal and social lives, curtailed leisure activities, created difficulties in meeting their friends, caused irregularity of their mealtime, affected sleep and caused health problems. However, the effect is significant only for such feelings of social and family aspects, as well as sleepy and lively hood but no significant main effects of shift schedule are observed for any of the behavioural and organizational context.