Association of Non-Standard Working Time Arrangements with Safety Incidents: A Systematic Review

Introduction: We performed a systematic review to assess the consequences of non-standard working time arrangements on occupational accidents (including fatal accidents), near-accidents, injuries, and other safety risks (referred to as «incidents») by considering the overall evidence.

Methods: We systematically searched five databases (Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Proquest Health and Safety Science Abstract) and identified 13569 studies until February 2024. Of these studies, 24 met the inclusion criteria. A structured approach was followed to evaluate the risk of bias and undertake a narrative analysis of the data using “Synthesis Without Meta-analysis” (SWiM).

Results: This review found associations between being a shift worker and experiencing safety incident risks. Most of the included studies found an increased risk of incidence during or after night shifts, with some noting an elevated risk during evening shifts. Accumulated exposure to evening or night shifts increased the risk of safety incidents in the following week. Due to heterogeneity in study designs, populations, and outcomes across findings, the overall certainty of evidence was rated as low to very low.

Conclusion: Broadly, a non-standard working arrangement was associated with an increased risk of safety incidents, notwithstanding the relatively low grading of the evidence. For future longitudinal studies on working time schedules and safety incidents, using payroll data is recommended.

Publication History

Article published online:
08 October 2025