Does Shiftwork Modify Associations of Age with Injury Among Police?

Details

• Personal Author:
  Andrew, Michael E. ; Fekedulegn D ; Gu JK ; Mnatsakanova A ; Violanti JM
• Description:
  Introduction: The average age of police officers is slowly increasing. The association between shift work, injury, and age among police officers has not been adequately explored. In the present study, we assessed these associations. Methods: Participants were 430 police officers from the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress study. Count of on-duty injuries during the 15 years prior to the date of exam were assessed using daily payroll records. Officers were categorized according to the dominant shift ('day (n=188),' 'afternoon (n=142),' or 'night (n=100)') in which they worked the highest percentage of hours. Unadjusted and multivariable-adjusted (sex, race-ethnicity, smoking status, and rank) mean number of injuries per year were estimated across age groups ('20- 39', '40-49', '50+') using ANOVA/ANCOVA models. Effect modification was assessed for shiftwork. Results: A total of 268 (62.3%) reported injury during the past 15 years. Night shift officers were significantly younger compared to those on days shift (39.3 vs. 46.1 years). In adjusted models, the mean number of injuries per year decreased significantly with increasing age [Mean (SE): 0.19 (0.02), 0.14 (0.01), 0.08 (0.01), p-trend<0.001]. After stratifying by shift, adjusted associations remained significant among officers on day and afternoon shift: the means were highest among younger officers '20-39yrs' compared to older '40-49yrs' and '50+' groups [Means (SE): 0.22(0.03), 0.10(0.01), 0.05(0.02), and 0.20(0.03), 0.15(0.03), 0.06 (0.06), with p-trends: <0.001, and 0.032, respectively]. Associations were not significant among officers working night shifts. Discussion: The results from this study indicate negative associations between age and injury and suggest that shiftwork may significantly affect these associations. Small sample sizes may contribute to lack of significance among night shifters. It is important to create a culture in which officers receive information about the importance of good sleep habits, the hazards of shift work, and fatigue management strategies. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Age Factors Emergency Responders Law Enforcement Occupational Health Safety Shift Work Schedule Sleep Sleep Initiation And Maintenance Disorders
• Keywords:
  Age Factors Emergency Responders Injuries Police Officers Shift Work Shift Workers Sleep Deprivation Work Schedules
• ISSN:
  1984-0063
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Idaho ; New York ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  73
• Volume:
  12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20058010
• Citation:
  Sleep Sci 2019 Aug; 12(Suppl 3):73
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• NORA Priority Area:
  Public Safety
• Performing Organization:
  State University of New York at Buffalo
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20100901
• Source Full Name:
  Sleep Science
• Supplement:
  3
• End Date:
  20150831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:26cb39208ea90f961b571c3e2cea231e05f6650d306821fc31b16f2dff4c82a7ee1471ad61bacb05a80127d3753aa085167723d0d3662ac838dc4d28021608c4
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215203/cdc_215203_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 178.23 KB ]