Effects of Shift Work on Air Force Security Police Personnel

摘要

US Air Force security police duties involve the potential necessity for making split second life and death decisions which could well affect national security. Since previous studies have clearly documented that shift work has a significant effect on those who perform it, this study examines the perceived effects of shift work on a population of security police personnel. The results of the survey confirmed most of the hypotheses and expectations suggested by the literature. Mather AFB security police night and rotating shift workers reported significantly more work-related sleep problems than their day shift counterparts. Possibly related to the above conclusion, the perceived level of job effectiveness was significantly lower in night shift workers than day shift workers. Many day shift workers, however, reported that late night activities interfered with their job performance. Further, a significant number of night shift workers reported difficulty staying awake on the midnight shift. Clearly, however, the majority of these personnel believed they were more effective working a permanent as compared with a rotating shift schedule.