Mental Health of Expatriate Oil Workers on Extended Twelve Hour Shifts in a Desert-Based Oil Field

Abstract

TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractThe mental health of workers who are exposed to extended twelve hour shifts in a hostile desert environment for periods of 28 consecutive days and 56 consecutive days (standard vs. extended "hitches") was assessed. Measurement of short term mood showed that workers operating under both work schedules underwent significant increases in fatigue over the duration of a hitch. Standard hitch workers also reported increased confusion, with extended hitch workers reporting increased anger and decreased vigor. Extended hitch workers showed greater somatic symptoms, anxiety / insomnia, and overall psychiatric state at hitch end than hitch start. At hitch end, extended workers also had a global psychiatric state above the clinical threshold that indicated clinical significance. There were no such mental health effects for standard hitch workers. After adjusting for covariates of actual hours worked, pay rating, and stressful events in personal life, it was found that there were no differences between standard and extended hitch workers on measures of mood state or mental health at either hitch start, hitch end, or hitch start six months later. These results suggest that there are detrimental short term consequences of the current work schedules, more so for extended than standard hitches. No long term mental health effects were identified as a result of hitch schedule, and any short term mental health and mood state differences found between workers under different hitches were negated after adjustment was made for the psychosocial modifying factors outlined above. Other lifestyle factors that were identified as being beneficial to workers' mental health and short term mood states were exercising during hitch, and a feeling of low stress and annoyance during hitch. Workers who were parents also showed short term benefits in selected mood states at the start of hitch. Long term mental health effects of increased social dysfunction (possibly poor adjustment at hitch start) were shown in workers with low occupational satisfaction, and greater short and long term depression was found in those workers with no previous experience of working away from home.

Disrupting fast fashion: A case study of Shein’s innovative business model

“…Shein's prices are lower than those of its competitors (up to 30%-50% lower than those of Zara or H&M (Cao, 2022)) and also attributable to the structure and operation of the supply chain. Cost reductions throughout the production process, even in terms of wages, may be among the plausible explanations (Jackson, 2022). The lower prices are also linked to savings in distribution, warehousing, transportation, customs, and postage.…”