THE EFFECT OF SHIFT WORKING PATTERN ON HEALTH, FATIGUE AND MOOD SWINGS OF METRO DRIVERS OF TEHRAN URBAN & SUBURBAN RAILWAY COMPANY

Shift working is a regular work pattern in some occupations that can expose workers to fatigue and health problems. It is very important to pay attention to the consequences of long shift work hours, especially in jobs such as railway driving that require a high level of awareness and precision agility. In the present study, the effect of shift work and its length were surveyed on the occurrence of health effects and sleepiness in the metro drivers of Tehran urban & suburban railway operation.

363 Tehran Metro drivers were selected using census method and divided into day work (8 hours) and shift workers (9 and 12 hours) groups. The information about mood and social effects, sleepiness, and health effects were collected by a Survey of Shift-workers questionnaire, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and Clinical Occupational Medicine checklist, respectively. The resulting data were analyzed with SPSS (v.19) software at a significance level of 5 % .

The results showed that shift work compared to day work was associated with negative effects on sleep quality, social life conditions, job satisfaction, and an increase in the rate of complaints of health problems. Increasing the shift working hours from 9 to 12 hours was associated with intensifying the consequences of shift work.

The shift work pattern in Tehran metro drivers is associated with an increase in the incidence of health disorders and a decrease in awareness during work, which requires reform in the planning of the shift work patterns and improvement of working conditions. Further studies are needed to obtain a more accurate picture of shift work effects and variables affecting it.