A Pitch to President Obama – How About a Shift Workers Day?
2010 Working Nights Pocket Calendar 3.5 x 7
In moments of great stress and loss, our immediate tendency is to point the finger and blame those we see as having had the responsibility for predicting, and thereby preventing, the crisis. Most recently, experts responsible for issuing emergency warning alerts have been criticized for their slow response to an 8.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami followed by even more quakes earlier this week in the Samoa Islands region (150 deaths). This was followed by Wednesday’s 7.6 magnitude earthquake in the southern Sumatra region of Indonesia which has reportedly killed at least 700 (and many are still missing – 30,000 homes destroyed). Now emergency workers and aid groups are scrambling 24/7 to respond to the havoc and devastation resulting from these disasters.
It takes you back to 911, Katrina, or the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami that killed 150,000 people. People working 24/7, working nights, evenings, and weekends for multiple days in a row! How do we get through these emotionally draining and often physically taxing periods?
We plan ahead, as best we can! Right now, here in the U.S., meteorologists, hospital and emergency service practitioners, utility personnel, oil and gas workers, and everyone who lives in the hurricane belt are cautiously breathing a sigh of relief. The hurricane belt is an area in the Atlantic Ocean, which includes the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. The Atlantic/Caribbean hurricane season goes from August 15 to November 30, sharply peaking from late August through September.
Forecasters had said there was a 70% percent chance of having nine to 14 storms this year, of which four to seven could become hurricanes, including one to three major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5). But, it has been an extremely quiet hurricane season so far in the Atlantic – a hurricane has yet to strike the U.S. coastline.
But, hurricanes do hit this region after October 1 – it’s happened eleven times since 1950. And in October 1954, South Carolina was hit with a category 4 hurricane that was quite devastating (there have been no category 5’s after the end of September). Right now, our meteorologists, hospital and emergency service practitioners, electric utility personnel and oil and gas workers are waiting, prepared and still planning in case this is the one year in five we get a hurricane after October 1. And they’re worrying that it’ll be a big one.
Enough about the weather and other disasters, right? What’s the point?
No matter where we live, we are all faced with emergencies, and sometimes they are devastating. And, before, during and after these times, who do we rely on?
Shift Workers!!
• Emergency workers like police and fire department members put their lives at risk to save people.
• Paramedics, EMT’s, nurses, and doctors make risky decisions under stress and without sleep, judgments that could impact their licenses and livelihood, if they make a mistake.
• Utility workers who are outside in the elements for hours, facing nasty weather so we can quickly be toasty warm inside while cooking our dinner.
• Computer technicians and engineers trying to keep systems we rely on up and running.
• Aid workers racing to get medical supplies and food to the most needy.
• Food service and retail workers doing their best to keep shelves stocked or cafeterias filled to sustain everyone else who’s working
• Federal, state, and local municipal workers managing communications, helping to set priorities of actions to provide help most quickly.
• Military personnel who are often called in from far away locations to assist everyone above, while helping to maintain order to keep people safe.
• Shift working volunteers, which usually consist of many people who work shifts for their usual job – they may be construction, manufacturing, and other industrial laborers having certain skills usually in demand during emergency situations.
And, let’s not forget that these are the same people working on National Holidays too! Also, they have families, spouses, partners, and kids, who have to live with the regular daily risks and extra ones their shift working loved ones take during more critical periods.
Before we are caught up in our next crisis, let’s try and take a moment to look around at those people who will be there when we need them. Also think about their loved ones. Thank the workers and their families for what they do to protect and care for us in advance. But also thank them after. When they are working, be patient. They are trying to do their best, sometimes working in the most challenging of situations emotionally and physically drained.
In the U.S., we celebrate Labor Day – a day where we honor all workers for their contributions to our country and our economy. How about a day just for shift workers? Over 25 million people in the U.S. and 600 million world-wide work shift work. Let’s find a day to honor them!
copyright2009 Circadian Age, Inc. – ‘Working Nights’
Tags: 24/7, circadian rhythms, family, fatigue, injury, Parenting, shift work, Working Nights
A day honoring shift workers is a wonderful idea! I am sure that most of us are so concerned about the disaster itself as it is occuring that we very rarely consider all the people working in the midst of it. They, along with their families, should be properly thanked and appreciated!