Essay Sample on 24/7 Society: Health Consequences for Night Shift Workers

Introduction

The modern 24-hour society come with consequences. Nearly 15 million people in the US work in full time night shifts, rotational shifts or other irregular schedules. These shifts pose health issues to the workers according to the National Sleep Foundation ("Five ways to deal with night shifts", 2020). They are exposed to the risk of metabolic problems, gastrointestinal difficulties, heart diseases, obesity, and certain types of cancer. Also, the late-night shifts may interfere with the body capability to repair DNA damage that may occur from normal cellular processes. Looking for a way to cope with the night shifts while enjoying a heath existence is vital. The most common problem the night shift workers face is sleep deprivation and fatigue ("Five ways to deal with night shifts", 2020). The body daily rhythm is thrown off balance, metabolism problems arises.

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Night shift worker are more likely to experience metabolic syndrome which increases the risk of obesity due to poor diet, irregular appetite and disruption of sleep pattern of the body ("Managing Sleep, Health & Safety for Firefighters", 2020). Eating planned meals helps the workers to stay alert during working hours and relax when they need to sleep ("Five ways to deal with night shifts", 2020). Foods which are easy to digest serves this purpose effectively. For this reason, fruit and vegetable snacks are important for the late-night shift workers. The snacks contain sugar that is slowly converted to energy and the contain vital vitamins, fibre and minerals. Therefore, it is important to have healthy fruit and vegetable snack between 2 am ad 4am.

The introduction of the fresh fruit venting machine in the firm will significantly help to boost the productivity of the workers during their night shift. It will aid the workers to avoid too much caffeine which is the common cause of insomnia and lose of appetite. Also, the appetite of the workers will be increased significantly hence enjoying meals at the cafeteria.

Cost Benefit Analysis

Cost benefit analysis is a vital economic tool for evaluating the activities undertaken in different divisions of national economy (Rydlewska-Liszkowska, 2002). It is also utilized in the field of Occupational Health and Safety at the workplaces (Jingdong & Han, 2012). Before taking a new project, managers conduct a cost benefit analysis to assess all the potential costs and revenues that might be incurred in the process (Jingdong & Han, 2012). The outcome of the evaluation determines whether the project is financially feasible. In many occasions, cost benefit analysis factors in decision making process in choosing the best alternative between proposed projects. Therefore, cost benefit analysis involves measurable financial metrics for instance costs saved, or revenue earned as an outcome of the decision to venture into a business.

The cost benefit analysis process begins with the compilation of a list of all costs and benefits of the associated project. The costs involved includes direct costs resulting from labour, raw martials or inventory, overhead costs from management, rent and utilities, opportunity costs sch as alternative investments, cost of potential risks resulting from competition or environmental impact among others (Jingdong & Han, 2012).

Business Case

Like all investments, the project cost will include the purchasing of the machine and raw materials for instance fruits and vegetables. The initial investments will also include planning, preparation and installation of the vending machine (Jingdong & Han, 2012). The recurring costs will also be factored in terms of maintenance costs, energy costs, yearly equipment material and training costs (Jingdong & Han, 2012).

The benefit of the project will be deduced by observing the productivity of the workers. The idea is that the project will result in greater productivity and efficiency in the workplace as the worker's energy will be rejuvenated by fruit and vegetable salads ("Five ways to deal with night shifts", 2020). Their healthy issues will be minimized due to the benefits of the snacks. This OSH intervention will aid in avoiding costs related to productivity, wasted time due to fatigue and potential side effects (Jingdong & Han, 2012). The vending machine will be operational in any time of the day providing the workplace with healthier eating choice.

The products of the project will focus on natural fruits and vegetables. Each cup of fresh fruit juice of 30ml will be sold at $10 and a bowl of mixed fruit and vegetable salad will be sold at $20. As shown in the table above, the investment project will require a funding of $25770 for the start up.

As the decision on the investment is based on a healthier and safer workplace, the project is cost effective and it seek to improve the workplace motivation. The objective of the project goes hand in hand with the organization's strategy on improving workplace environment. Not only will the project the work place environment but also it will be profitable to the organization.

Therefore, it's a departmental goal to sensitize its workers on the importance of balanced diet especially the role of vegetables and fruits in the meal ("Managing Sleep, Health & Safety for Firefighters", 2020). The success of this program will main depend the individual perception on the balanced diet and its role in the in the human health. I hope the project will be funded kick off.

References

Jingdong, Z., & Han, Z. (2012). Occupational Health Management Research on Small & Medium-sized Enterprises Together with Large & Medium-sized State-owned Enterprises --A Case Study in Hubei Province. Procedia Engineering, 43, 288-292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2012.08.049

Five ways to deal with night shifts. Medicalnewstoday.com. (2020). Retrieved 16 March 2020, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319918#3.-Watch-your-diet.

Managing Sleep, Health & Safety for Firefighters. Firehouse. (2020). Retrieved 16 March 2020, from https://www.firehouse.com/safety-health/health-fitness/article/21037012/managing-sleep-health-safety-for-firefighters.

Rydlewska-Liszkowska, I. (2002). Financing occupational health services in Poland. International Archives Of Occupational And Environmental Health, 75(0), 10-13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-002-0352-2