Miners not getting enough sleep, Sudbury study says

A new study from Laurentian University reveals that miners are less rested and are at a higher risk of experiencing a workplace accident than employees in other fields.

A former Valeshift workersaid his work schedule took a toll on him and his sleep suffered as a result.

It gets to the point where, sometimes, youll have such a hard shift that [when] youre driving home, it almost feels like youre kind of drunk, Ryan St. Georges explained. Thats how it can make you feel.

New data from LaurentianUniversity suggests this experience is common.

The study saysmining employees who regularly work the night shift only sleep an average of 5.5 hours after work thats a full hour less than what the average person receives.

Risk of accidents significantly higher

One of the authors of the study, who is also a sleep expert in the psychology department, saidsleep deprivation can be dangerous.

The biggest consequence for anyone who is sleep deprived is that the reaction time slows down, Dr. Glenn Legault said.The chances of you having an accident are significantly higher.

He said this is especially problematic for those who work with heavy machinery.

The issue is, if theyre not getting good quality sleep before going in for the next night'sshift, theyre going to have problems with decision making and all sorts of other things associated with sleep deprivation.

St. Georges said most miners know the riskbut, for some, working a normal shift isnt an option.

People are a lot more stressed out to do a lot more work, he said. Theres a shortage of people to sometimes get the work done.

Legault will present the preliminary findings of his study this weekend at the Canadian Sleep Society in Halifax.