Long Hours Equal More StressThe Star Press - September 5, 2001
MUNCIE - After 17 hours without sleep, people's psychomotor skills are impaired at a rate similar to people with a 0.05 blood-alcohol level, a Ball State University professor says. "It's not like they're drunk, but they are very likely impaired," said Greg Morrison, a professor in the criminal-justice department. After 24 hours, the impairment level reaches the same level of impairment as someone with a 0.08 BAC, the legal limit for driving in Indiana. That's why Morrison has reservations about public-safety officials working multiple jobs, in some cases 75 hours in 5 days. "It is a legitimate concern, just as it would be for someone driving a truck or a bus, pilots and people who work at nuclear power plants," Morrison said. Muncie Police Chief Joe Winkle acknowledged working two jobs could affect the work performance. A dozen MPD officers work 35 hours a week as security officers at Muncie Community Schools. "Nobody is capable of putting in 16 hard hours a day for very long," Winkle said. Before coming to Ball State 3 years ago, Morrison, a 6-year professor and former police officer, was a resource associate for a four-community study on fatigue and stress associated with longer shifts for police officers. "People deal with fatigue and sleep deprivation in very individual ways, but it would have to make the job harder," Morrison said. "It would be difficult for [supervisors] to know what an officer has not done because he or she was fatigued. "At times, and perhaps very wisely, an officer might have chosen not to pursue a lead, decided it was not the day to be proactive and maybe a day when it was best to pursue just service calls." Fire Chief Gary Lucas said his workers with part-time jobs conditioned themselves for continuous work. For more information or to subscribe please visit http://www.thestarpress.com/ |
Reprinted with permission © 2001, The Star Press, Muncie, Ind.