NIOSH to Develop Online Training on Law Enforcement Shift Work
Once it is finalized, the training program will be available on the NIOSH website. The training will be pilot tested with 30 recent graduates of a police academy and 30 experienced officers, all of whom work full time on fixed night shifts.
NIOSH is seeking comments on a proposed information collection project that develop and pilot test a new, online training program tailored for the law enforcement community that relays the health and safety risks associated with shift work, long work hours, and related workplace sleep issues, and presents strategies for managers and officers to reduce the risks. Comments are due on or before Feb. 8, 2019.
The agency's notice was published Dec. 10. Its proposed project, titled "Online training for law enforcement to reduce risks associated with shift work and long work hours," is planned as a one-year data collection; the pilot study is part of a project awarded National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) funding.
Stakeholders may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2018-0106, by visiting www.regulations.gov and searching for that docket number, or by mail to: Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS-D74, Atlanta, GA 30329.
"Shift work and long work hours are linked to many health and safety risks due to disturbances to sleep and circadian rhythms. These work schedules also lead to difficulties with personal relationships due to having less time with family and friends, poor mood from sleep deprivation, and problems balancing work and personal responsibilities," NIOSH's notice states. "These work schedules and inadequate sleep likely contribute to health problems seen in police: Shorter life spans, high occupational injury rates, and burden of chronic illnesses. One strategy to reduce these risks is training programs to inform employers and law enforcement officers about the risks and strategies to reduce their risks."
Once it is finalized, the training program will be available on the NIOSH website. The training will be pilot tested with 30 recent graduates of a police academy and 30 experienced officers, all of whom work full time on fixed night shifts. The pilot test will use a pre-test—post-test design to examine sleep (both duration and quality), work time sleepiness, and knowledge retained. Pre-test measures will be collected two weeks before the training. Post-test measures will be collected the week of the training (week three of the study), one week after the training (week four), and at eight and nine weeks after the training (weeks 11 and 12 of the study). Additional post-test measures will include feedback about the training and whether specific behaviors changed.