We are personal injury solicitors specialising in claiming compensation for clients injured on night shifts. Stephen Morse has experience with all types of work injury claims, and introduces our services in this short video.

Read more about night shift accidents below, or use our free legal advice service opposite to ask us a question or to get started making a claim.

Night Shift Accident Compensation

It is estimated that up to 20% of the UK workforce regularly work night shifts, representing roughly 3.5 million people. Night shift work is on the increase across a variety of industries, as employers seek to maximise productivity and address consumer demands for 24 hour services. A recent UN study gained widespread publicity recently when it appeared to show an increase in the incidence of breast cancer among nurses and flight attendants who worked night shifts regularly over a period of 30 years. The study is not definitive, and the HSE is expected to deliver its own research into the subject in 2011. It does however present the real possibility of a flood of compensation claims from night shift workers in the future, once medical research proves a causal link between long-term illnesses and night work, similar to the constantly evolving field of industrial disease claims for illnesses such as asbestosis and mesothelioma. Under current legislation, employers must abide by strict guidelines in relation to night shift working hours, they also owe the same duty of care to night shift workers as to those who work during the day.

Typical Causes Of Night Shift Accidents

Night shift work has long been known to increase the risk of various physical and mental ailments. Effectively the body never fully adapts to the change in sleeping patterns, and continues to respond naturally to daylight and darkness. The body releases melatonin at night, a hormone that makes a person relax, while simultaneously ceasing the release of adrenaline and cortisol, two hormones which maintain the body in a state of alertness. A worker can therefore never fully operate to their maximum potential at night. They will find it harder to pay attention to instructions or safety procedures, suffer lapses in concentration, and experience substantially decreased hand-eye coordination. US research has found that night shift workers are five times more likely to make serious mistakes than their daytime colleagues, and are 20% more likely to be involved in a serious accident at work.

The Risks Of Night Shift Work

Apart from accidents, night shift work is also linked to conditions which manifest themselves outside the workplace, such as fatigue, insomnia, stress and depression. Such conditions will cause a further deterioration in a night shift worker's performance. Research has further associated night shift work with digestive problems, irregular heart beat, breast cancer, and an increased propensity for workers to be involved in car accidents. Where workers switch between day and night shifts the risks to their health are magnified, as the body experiences a form of 'shift lag', where its natural patterns are in a constant state of disruption. The risk of accidents during a night shift also increases significantly both when an individual works consecutive nights, and when periods between breaks on a night shift grow longer.

Night Shift Accident Compensation Claims

Employer's responsibilities to workers are set out in the EU's Working Time Directive (1993), and various HSE guidelines. Employees working at night should not work longer than 8 hours in every 24 hour period (averaged over 17 weeks), though they may work up to 12 hours on individual shifts. Where a job involves 'special hazards' or particular physical or mental pressures, workers must not work more than 8 hours on a night shift during any 24 hour period. Otherwise night shift workers have exactly the same rights as their daytime counterparts in terms of being provided with a safe working environment and system of work. This includes the right to adequate training, proper rest periods, and supervision of potentially hazardous tasks. An employer must ensure that daytime safety precautions are fully extended to cover the night shift. Any failure in this area may leave them liable to a compensation claim from an injured employee. In the same way an employer may be vicariously liable for the negligence of a co-worker on the night shift.

Bartletts Solicitors are specialists in handling accident and injury compensation claims on behalf of night shift workers. We operate on a no win no fee basis meaning if you win your case your employer's insurance company will pay all of your legal fees, and if you lose you will not pay a penny.