because safety officials do not work outside normal office hours.
Professor Andrew Watterson from Stirling University said that 3.5
million shift workers received second-class treatment as Health and
Safety Executive staff do not work in the evenings or at weekends.
Therefore, key tasks are not carried out when shift staff are on duty.
Professor Watterson said: "Shift workers face all the same risks as
workers on normal hours, plus a slew of risks all of their own".
"These working hours have been linked to conditions including breast
cancer, prostate cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, heightened injury and
disaster risk, fatigue, heart disease risk factors and pregnancy
problems.
"People will always work antisocial hours but that doesn't mean they
should be overlooked by the Health and Safety Executive."
The HSE said that staff do attend incidents outside normal hours and
is carrying out a study of illnesses linked to working at night.
