Any job with nocturnal shifts has more dangers than day-time equivalents. Not only is visibility low, people’s schedules are off-kilter. No matter how long people have worked night shifts or maintained high levels of activity during the dark, it’s not what human circadian rhythms are used to. Here’s how you can use lighting to make environments safer, but in terms of short-term safety and longer-term health.
Use bright lights and dark sunglasses.
One of the main health ramifications of nocturnal work schedules involves inconsistent sleep. While poor sleep schedules and low sleep quality are problems that impact people with typical nine to fives, the problem is even more severe if you’re going to sleep after the sun has risen. The best treatment so far is to equip workers with the tools and the schedule to allow for deep sleep immediately after arriving home. Scientists have tested various study groups, and having your employees wear dark sunglasses on their way home is the way to do it, provided the work environment was brightly lit. The glasses help maintain an illusion that the morning is evening or night, so sleep schedules feel more natural.
Replicate daylight lighting.
Warehouse lighting needs to be bright. Not only are the OSHA requirements and generally accepted standards regarding illumination, different degrees of lighting impact mental alertness and response time. If you want your employees to be as alert and vigilant as possible, get lights with a ‘daylight’ temperature. This includes lights with at least 5000K, and the color is a blue white. It most clearly mimics natural light, which our eyes and bodies respond to. Even without this effect, the increased brightness per bulb helps keep obstructions and steps clear.
