With our company always on call
we were rostered on different shifts
though some did only night shifts.
Some of us died young,
under retiring age.
All those who died within
my ten years there had
only worked night shifts
for at least several years.
Doris had a brain tumour
Enid had stomach cancer
May had lung cancer
Alf had a massive heart attack.
Young Jack was medicated
for seizures. He went to
sleep one night for ever.
Relief workers came in
each time staff attended
yet another funeral.
We all knew those who passed away
had spent so long on night shifts
yet no one questioned it.
I do wonder
are our bodies
chewed up turning
day into night
night into day ?
For some do not survive night shift.
Originally posted 13 March 2016.
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I believe that it takes a roll eventually working night shifts for far too long.
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It certainly did at this call centre.
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I was a poor fit for night shift. I’d go home in the morning, have beer with breakfast (!) because I couldn’t join my fellow workers during the evening drinking fests. Then I’d try to sleep, which rarely came till just before “normal” time, which was time to get up and go to work.
On top of it, it was summertime, I was young, and there were too many distractions – going to the lake, riding my 10-speed, taking day trips to interesting places – to consider trying to sleep.
Until I outlasted enough people to get moved to day shift, I was a walking hazard, tired to the core. Accidents definitely are more likely, too.
There are people who handle the second and third shifts with no problem, but most people don’t. Health concerns? Yes. You have lower resistance to disease because of the lack of sleep, and it probably can be proved through studies that your anecdotal observations about the danger to life and limb working nights is not your imagination.
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Yes, Constant night shifts are definitely a danger and a health hazard. There should be more observations and studies to provide more data.
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This one really caught my attention back when you first published it. I’ll re log it at richardrensberry.com.
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Thank you very much !
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Reblogged this on Richard Rensberry, Author at QuickTurtle Books and commented:
Thanks for the good poetry Glenis.
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Thank you !
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Working nights was heavily rewarded when I was weather forecasting because the Union had statistics about how it adversely affected health.
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They should collect them here ! The movie about Margaret Thatcher’s dementia in her early seventies should be red flagged . I can’t think of its title off hand.
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That’s a bit scary; I love my sleep, and can’t imagine how people swap their rhythms around to do it during the day…
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It is scary. But the other operators did not discuss it. However our staff did attend four funerals within about six years. So many occupations require staff working through the night.
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