By Katie Leonard
4/26/10
Shift work in America has been around since the 19th century, when the Industrial Revolution created the need for around-the-clock factory workers to support the manufacturing industry's booming business. While America's industries have changed since then, the need for shift work is actually increasing. Many corporations operate on a 24 hours a day, 365 days a year schedule, and the nature of fields like public safety, transportation and medical (to name just a few) require positions to be staffed at all hours.
In 2004, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that about 15 percent of full-time salary and wage workers worked alternative shifts on a regular basis. These workers worked either the evening or night shift exclusively, or some combination of the first, second and third shift.
The night shift is usually defined as being between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. With the reality of 12-hour shifts in hospitals and double-shifts at restaurants and in public safety jobs, an eight-hour shift is not always the norm.
The night shift can probably be best summed up by those people who actually make a living doing it. You can read more about how the night shift affects workers' home and social lives in the stories on the following pages. Click the audio story below to hear how the night shift affects workers eating habits, sleep patterns and health.
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