Are New York Shift Workers More Likely To Suffer From Injury, Illness, Depression and Disability?

If you have a New York job that involves working in shifts, either regular shifts or rotating shifts, you already know how tough it can be. Not only are you on the job when most people are at home with their families or asleep, but you may also find yourself isolated and struggling to live a ‘normal’ life.

Even if you enjoy your shift work and don’t think of it as a problem, research shows that NY shift workers – especially those that perform rotating shift work where they alternate between day and night work – have a higher risk for developing injuries or medical conditions than non-shift workers.

Why is shift work bad for your health?

There are two main reasons why researchers believe that shift work can lead to increased incidences of injury and disease:

Lifestyle issues: People who perform shift work are more likely than other types of workers to engage in unhealthy behaviors. They may eat junk or fast food more often, they don’t exercise as much as other people because of their schedule, and they may feel isolated and depressed. All of this can contribute to health problems.
Biological changes: Shift work disrupts a person’s natural body rhythms because our body clocks depend on the cycle of light and dark that occurs throughout a 24 hour period. When our circadian rhythm is disrupted, our body is thrown off and disease can result.

What diseases or injuries are shift workers more likely to experience?

Studies have shown that because shift work disrupts workers lifestyles and biological clocks, they are more prone to coming down with a variety of healthy problems, including an increased accident risk.

Studies have shown links between shift work and the following:

Cardiovascular disease
Diabetes
Obesity
Stomach / digestive problems like ulcers or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Reproductive issues in women like trouble getting and staying pregnant, low birth weight babies, irregular or painful menstrual cycles, and more
Depression and mood disorders
Cancer, like breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer
Increased risk of accident and injury

Do you think that shift work may have contributed to your accident, injury or disability? Are you seeking information about New York workers’ compensation laws or Social Security Disability? Our skilled, compassionate lawyers can help you with cases of workplace injury, on-the-job illness, and short or long-term disability. Please contact the law offices of Markhoff & Mittman today to see how they can help.