Night Shift

If you’ve ever worked night shift then you know how much it can throw you off. Working during your usual sleep time can cause real physical symptoms along with zombie like reflexes; all of which contribute to serious hazards on site. Here are a few things you can do on and off site to help you get through the graveyard shift.

Before even coming to work, you can help lower your risk factor by maintaining a regular sleep pattern and eating a healthy well-balanced diet. Treat your start time as if it were in the morning, get a nap in before work and a good meal. Avoid fatty and fried food, they make you even more zombieish (I know that’s not a real word). Try finding a co-worker to carpool with. Having someone to talk to you will help you stay awake, you can take turns if someone is too tired to drive… especially on the way home.

Once on site, make sure to do your JHA. This helps you pinpoint the hazards for the night and keeps you on your toes. Make sure your work area is well lit and you’re wearing your inspected PPE. Take your breaks, don’t try and be the hero and work through your breaks. Your body will need the rest.

Generally there are more incidents on night shift due to poor reflex time, wandering minds and just overall exhaustion. Its unavoidable, there will be times on night shift when you feel like the living dead. Take it upon yourself to be proactive, get the rest you need so you can come home undead… As in not dead.