Can Daylight Savings Time Increase Your Risk of a Work Injury?
The daylight savings time change results in the sudden withdrawal of an hour of sleep from an entire population. The Monday after the official change is also the day that there is a noted spike in workplace injuries. Our work injury lawyer has searched for – and found – the scientific basis for this fact.
Time Change Results in Workplace Fatigue and Injuries
Scientists researched the correlation between the loss of an hour and the purported spike in work-related accidents the next day. Publishing their findings in the Journal of Applied Psychology, the experts found that on the Monday after the official time change there were more and severer workplace accidents than on other days.
- Sleep loss. Overall, researchers found that the time change resulted in a measurable sleep loss of 40 minutes.
- Injury increase. Scientists used available workplace data to gauge the change in workplace injuries on the Monday following daylight savings time. They observed a 5.7-percent spike.
- Productivity loss. Hand in hand with the increase in on-the-job injuries is the loss of productivity. Overall, the heightened loss of workdays related to the spike totals 67.6 percent.
Recommendations from the Experts
It is interesting to note that the scientists pointed to a much higher severity in the injuries suffered than what would be seen at other times. They suggested that it might be feasible to revamp work schedules to make up for the lost sleep. That said, there are some things that you can do, too. For example, consider going to bed just a little earlier on each day leading up to daylight savings time. Then, when the day comes, your body is better trained at dealing with the loss of 60 minutes.
If you have been hurt at work, contact us to discuss your injury and to find out if you need assistance to protect your rights.
