Effects of Age and Shift Timing on the Mood State of Cement Factory Workers

Some published studies discussed the potential deterioration in human performance and increase in the risk of accidents due to the negative effects of shift work on the mood state of workers. Ageing of workers can also affect workers' coping with night work demands. The effects of age and shiftwork on the mood state of cement workers require more investigation and study due to the harsh working environment in the cement industry. This study aims to assess the relation and the impact of both age and shift timing on the mood state of cement factory workers. A sample of 70 cement production workers was asked to fill in the Profile of Mood State (POMS) questionnaire which consists of 65 questions covering six mood dimensions at a day shift. Then after two weeks, the same workers were asked to fill in the same questionnaire at night shift. In terms of shift timing, results showed that cement production workers who worked night shifts reported significantly more mental health issues and experienced more tension, depression and fatigue, and less vigor than workers performing day shifts. In terms of age, night shift effects on the mental health of older workers was less when compared to younger workers. Fatigue and tension were also found to increase and vigor was found to decrease with older ages. Overall, results indicated that age has significant effects on the mood state of shift workers. Implications of those findings in terms of enhancing safety at cement production plants are discussed at the end.