Working conditions, not diagnoses
Under § 5 para. 3 no. 6 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (ArbSchG), psychosocial stress at work is part of the risk assessment. The assessment looks at working conditions, not at people. In shift systems, the focus is on the timing and length of working hours, shift sequences, work intensity, interruptions, handovers and scope for action. The general method is described in the article Psychosocial risk assessment.
Framework of the Working Hours Act
The Working Hours Act limits daily working time, prescribes rest periods and breaks and, in § 6, requires that the working hours of night and shift workers are set in line with established findings of occupational science on the humane design of work. Night workers are entitled to an occupational health examination before they start and every three years after that, and every year from the age of 50. Compliance with the Act is a prerequisite but does not replace the risk assessment.
Assessment units and data collection
Sensible units are teams with similar tasks and shift conditions, for example the night shift of a ward or order picking. Surveys suit groups that are large enough to keep the answers anonymous. For small teams, moderated discussions or observation interviews are preferable, and the limits of anonymity must be clarified in advance. A satisfaction survey does not cover the stress factors.
Stress factors
Stress factors in shift systems are short turnarounds between late and early shifts, long runs of shifts, short-notice cover shifts, high work intensity due to staff absence, unclear handovers, missing breaks, lone working at night and little influence on the duty roster. Occupational science recommendations favour forward-rotating shift sequences, few consecutive night shifts and predictable days off.
Measures on organisation
Measures on working conditions take priority: shift planning in line with occupational science recommendations, reliable duty rosters issued in advance, defined handovers, clear responsibilities, realistic staffing levels and rules for cover shifts. Programmes for individual stress management can supplement these, but do not replace a change in the conditions.
Advice for employees includes sleep hygiene: after a night shift, sleep as soon as possible in a darkened, quiet and cool room and rule out disturbances from the phone and household; take a short nap in the afternoon before the first night shift; caffeine only in the first half of the night shift, no heavy meals at night; bright light at the start of the shift, dimmed light or sunglasses on the way home in the morning; enough days off after a block of night shifts. Alcohol as a sleep aid worsens sleep quality.
Effectiveness and practice
Under § 6 ArbSchG, the assessment, the measures and the result of the review must be documented. There is no fixed repeat interval; the assessment must be updated when the shift system or the staffing situation changes. We run surveys on psychosocial stress online, moderate workshops on site or by video and advise on shift planning. We arrange on-site appointments with companies in the Ingolstadt, Munich and Upper Bavaria area. Advice and meetings are available nationwide by video.