Evaluation of the impact of night-work on health in a population of workers in Tuscany

Night-Work, leading to subversion of physiological circadian rhythms and habits, may cause a lowering of work performance, an increase in the risk of accidental events and, more generally, a perception of less satisfactory living condition. In our experience we have interviewed 359 workers (night-workers and not). We found, in line with the Literature, that night-workers receive a less satisfactory quality of sleep, often associated with daytime sleepiness. The prevalence of disorders of various organs and systems is higher in these subjects, as well as the consumption of caffeine and nicotine. Regarding road and work-accidents, a similar trend is not so clearly confirmed in our series; in this context we have, nevertheless, to take account of some potential bias. Our experience confirmed that night-workmay produce animpact on the individual overall well-being and, consequently, on the companies' productivity. To reduce this impact and the related costs, itis necessary to plan interventions on both workers and work organization.