Increased risk of cancer identified in night shift workers

The Danish government has recently awarded compensation to 40 women diagnosed with breast cancer after working nightshifts for more than 20 years. This follows research published in December 2007 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which revealed that night shift workers who had worked a night working pattern for 30 years or more, and up to 29 years, displayed a 36% and 8% greater risk respectively of developing breast cancer, compared with women who had never worked nights.

Does this translate into a new strand of disease claim? Where a night shift worker develops breast cancer in the future, it does not automatically mean that they can pursue a successful personal injury claim, especially for example where there is a history of breast cancer in the family. However, following the publication of this research, employers will be expected to have taken adequate measures to minimise the risk to their employees, by conducting risk assessments, medical surveillance and employing appropriate variations to shift work patterns, where possible.

HSE has commissioned its own research which will be published in December 2011.

Current HSE guidance on night shift working is available at http://www.hse.gov.uk/humanfactors/shiftwork/ and the updated guidance “Managing Shift Work – Health and Safety Guidance” at http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/shiftwork.htm