Shiftwork and environment as interactive predictors of work perceptions

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Environmental Psychology
• Industrial Sociology

Background:

• Shiftwork is associated with increased health risks compared to daywork.
• The work environment is a potential contributing factor to these adverse outcomes.
• Understanding the interplay between work environment and shiftwork is crucial for worker well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between perceived work environment and shiftwork in the UK oil industry.
• To examine how objective work environment (onshore vs. offshore) moderates the effects of shiftwork on perceived environment.
• To explore the influence of individual factors on these relationships.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of perceived work environment measures (stressors, demand, control, support, safety) from 1,867 UK oil industry personnel.
• Comparison between shiftworkers (day/night rotation) and dayworkers.
• Consideration of onshore vs. offshore work locations.
• Inclusion of covariates: age, education, job type, and negative affectivity.

Main Results:

• A significant interaction between work environment and shiftwork was found.
• Onshore shiftworkers reported significantly less favorable work environments than onshore dayworkers.
• The difference in perceived environment between shiftworkers and dayworkers was less pronounced offshore.

Conclusions:

• The work environment significantly influences the experience of shiftwork.
• Onshore environments pose greater challenges for shiftworkers' perceived well-being.
• The findings support the demand-control-support model of work stress in the context of shiftwork.