Legal Times for Shift Work

[Eastender]

Hi What are the legal hours anyone can work in one shift pattern? I work shift in a Care Home, so the hours can be 7.30-2.30pm - 2.30-9.30pm and 9.30pm-8am. Sometimes a person can go from 2.30pm and carry on working right through until 8am the next morning thats over 12hrs. Surely this cannot be right? how can you have your wits about you for that lengh of time. Is it legal, or can someone point me in the right direction to look for myself. Thanks

[Pea Pod]

www. direct.gov.uk/employment when you get on the site put night working in the search box or working hours it will give you the info.

[Buenchico]

There is no maximum length of a single shift. (Many years ago, I used to work 36 hours on, 12 hours off, continuously for several months at a time. Also, until recently, that was the standard working pattern for junior doctors in hospitals. Many people, in all sorts of occupations, still work 24 hour shifts).

The only regulations which indirectly affect shift lengths relate to the intervals between shifts. In most cases, an employee is entitled to a minimum period of 11 hours rest between the end of one shift and the start of another. So, if someone finishes work at 0800 and is expected to to start work again at 1430 this would, in most cases, breach the regulations. However, jobs which involve 'round the clock' staffing (which include many jobs in care homes) are exempt from these provisions. Instead, staff are entitled to 'compensatory rest' at a later time.

See here for further information:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/Employment/Employees/ WorkingHoursAndTimeOff/WorkingHoursAndTimeOffA rticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=10029451&chk=pR1H4%2B

Chris