[Subjective wellbeing of shift workers in relation to individual characteristics of circadian rhythm]. / Subjektives Wohlbefinden von Schichtarbeitern in Abhängigkeit von individuellen Merkmalen der Circadianrhythmik.

With a goal to test the influence of individual traits of circadian rhythms on the tolerance of shiftwork a circadian questionnaire has been developed with the method of factors analysis. There are two scales in the final form of the questionnaire representing two chronobiological characteristics: morningness - eveningsness (circadian phase-position) and flexibility of the sleep-wake-rhythm. Sex- and age-norms exist for the two scales. Reliability and validity have been demonstrated. The results of an epidemiological study shows that the hypothesis of better adjustment to shiftwork of evening-types can not be verified. A better predictor of tolerance to shift work in terms of wellbeing seems to be the individual circadian trait flexibility of sleep-wake-rhythm.

[Occupational medicine and occupational science evaluation of shift work systems with integrated 12-hour shifts]. / Arbeitsmedizinische und arbeitswissenschaftliche Bewertung von Schichtsystemen mit eingelagerten 12-Stunden-Schichten.

A field study was performed on 32 male deep drilling workers engaged in hard physical work and 10 male operators with mainly supervisory tasks; both groups working in a shiftwork system including 12 hr shifts. Both the analysis and evaluation of stresses and strains were carried out by means of physiological, psychological and sociological methods. The obtained results show that under the conditions of the given working requirements, existing reproduction conditions, and observed social structure of the populations operating and supervisory activities in a 8 hr shiftwork system including 12 hr shifts are acceptable. In case of hard physical work this shiftwork arrangement can't be agreed to for industrial-medical reasons.

[Medical hygiene measures in organizing shift work taking circadian rhythms into account]. / Mediko-gigienicheskie meropriiatiia po organizatsii smennogo truda s uchetom tsirkadnykh ritmov.

Nowadays the share of workers engaged in shift work in the GDR constitutes 37% of all those working in production. It is pointed out that this share will increase. Scientific validation of necessary activities aimed at the organization of material, time-dependent and social labor conditions for those working by shifts has been one of the most important objectives of the study in occupational hygiene of the GDR. Circadian rhythms and associated biological and social desynchronization processes are of primary importance for planning a shift cycle, determining favorable individual preconditions to shift work, assessing health impact of detrimental factors combined with shift labor in the production process. The latest research on the evaluation of the shift system of work, involving prolonged shifts, and on the impact of individual daily rhythms on fitness to shift work is presented.