US research needs related to fatigue, sleep, and working hours among oil and gas extraction workers.

Background: During 2003-2013, 1189 US oil and gas extraction (OGE) workers died while working, resulting in an average annual workplace fatality rate seven times that for all US workers. OGE work commonly involves long hours, shiftwork, irregular schedules, and long commutes, but effects of these factors on fatigue, occupational injury, and illness in OGE are largely unknown.

Methods: A scoping review of relevant OGE research during 2000-2019 was completed and supplemented by input from a NIOSH-sponsored Forum.

The courses of objective physical activity and the association with sleepiness during a 2-week-on/2-week-off offshore shift rotation: an observational repeated-measures study.

Background: Offshore workers are assumed to have poor health behaviours, but no studies have yet examined physical activity (PA) during a full offshore shift rotation period, including both work and at home periods. Furthermore, the relationship of PA with sleepiness, a prevalent safety hazard offshore, is not known. This study aimed to examine (1) the courses of objectively measured PA in offshore workers during pre-, offshore and post-offshore periods, and (2) the association between PA and self-reported sleepiness.

Time-of-day and days-on-shift predict increased fatigue over two-week offshore day-shifts.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the accumulation of fatigue over a two-week offshore period. In particular, the effects of (1) time-of-day and days-on-shift as well as (2) acute and chronic sleep loss on the rate at which fatigue accumulates were investigated.

Methods: 42 day-shift offshore workers were examined.

Examining courses of sleep quality and sleepiness in full 2 weeks on/2 weeks off offshore day shift rotations.

To better understand sleep quality and sleepiness problems offshore, we examined courses of sleep quality and sleepiness in full 2-weeks on/2-weeks off offshore day shift rotations by comparing pre-offshore (1 week), offshore (2 weeks) and post-offshore (1 week) work periods. A longitudinal observational study was conducted among N=42 offshore workers. Sleep quality was measured subjectively with two daily questions and objectively with actigraphy, measuring: time in bed (TIB), total sleep time (TST), sleep latency (SL) and sleep efficiency percentage (SE%).

Investigating daily fatigue scores during two-week offshore day shifts.

Objectives: This study examined daily scores of fatigue and circadian rhythm markers over two-week offshore day shift periods.

Methods: A prospective cohort study among N = 60 offshore day-shift workers working two-week offshore shifts was conducted. Offshore day shifts lasted from 07:00 - 19:00 h.