Affiliations: [a] Department of Occupational Medicine, Local Health Authority, Health Unit of Occupational Prevention and Protection, Brindisi, Italy
| [b] Department of Mental Health, Local Health Authority, Lecce, Italy
| [c] Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopaedic Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| [d] Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Gabriele d’Ettorre, Department of Occupational Medicine, Medical Doctor, Local Health Authority of Brindisi (ASL BR), Director of the Health Unit of Occupational Prevention and Protection, Piazza Di Summa, 72100, Brindisi, Italy. Tel.: +39 831510433; Fax: +39 831510438; E-mail: gabriele.det@libero.it.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Rotational shiftwork (RS) has been linked to increased risk for safety and health of shift workers, globally. A growing literature has revealed a trend toward increased accident and injury rates in shift workers than non-shift workers. AIMS:The present research was aimed: 1) to develop a methodological path for a preliminary objective assessment of occupational risk by RS in a metal industry 2) to detect the consequent effective interventions for moderating the RS risk. METHODS:A modified version of the Rotational Shiftwork Questionnaire was designed by a panel of experts, through a Delphi study; the questionnaire was used for a pilot study to assess the RS risk in a metal industry. RESULTS:The questionnaire was entitled Rotating Shiftwork Questionnaire-Industry (RSQ-I) and was made up of two sections: 1) Sentinel Events; 2) Risk Factors. The assessment of RS risk showed a medium level of risk in the studied metal industry. Organizational level interventions were detected for moderating the impact of RS-risk on workers’ safety and health. CONCLUSION:RSQ-I showed a valid and reliable tool to analyze RS risk in a 24-hours metal industry. The pilot study demonstrated the effectiveness and feasibility of the introduced RSQ-I to approach the risk, through the analysis of both sentinel events and shift schedules.
