Occupational stress perception and its potential impact on work ability.

Objective: To examine perceived stress across employees with different occupational status, to investigate the impact of stress on work ability and to derive conclusions regarding health promotion activities.

Participants And Methods: A comprehensive survey combining questionnaire and medical examination was offered in one division in BASF Ludwigshafen. Among 867 voluntary participants, 653 returned complete questionnaires.

Is health, measured by work ability index, affected by 12-hour rotating shift schedules?

Two forms of continuously forward rotating 12-h shift schedules exist at BASF's Ludwigshafen site. These shift schedules were compared with a daytime working system to investigate potential differential effects on employee's health status assessed with the Work Ability Index (WAI). In the 3 x 12 system, a 12-h day shift is followed 24 h later by a 12-h night shift, and after a day off the employee returns to the day shift.

Health and safety protection for chemical industry employees in a rotating shift system: program design and acute injury and illness experience at work.

Objectives: To describe a comprehensive health protection program for rotating shift employees and evaluate the program effectiveness in injury and illness prevention.

Methods: For 14,128 shift and 17,218 day wage employees, occupational medical records were linked to job assignment records and studied over an 11-year period.

Results: Between 1995 and 2005, initiatives directed to shift employees contributed to their 59% and 100% greater participation in medical examinations and health seminar days, respectively, compared to day wage employees.