UPORG

Though shift work is associated with the manufacturing industry, it is widespread in the service industry also.

Some of  fields in which late shift work are common are:

1. Factories / Industrial plants  like refineries which need substantial capital investment for setting up. Most of  the processes are automated, and by operating in multiple shifts, production can be maximized at a marginal extra cost.

2. Industries like food or steel where restarting the production line involves a substantial additional cost. In the food industry, all the stainless steel equipment used has to be cleaned before restarting the manufacturing process. Similar in a steel smelter, furnace or hot rolling mill, a lot of electricity / energy has to be expended so that the temperature is attained , if there is a shut down

3. Essential services like public transport  (railway, buses), public safety (police, paramilitary services),  fire safety,  health care

4. Outsourced services - with customers in a different time zone.

Shift work is the arrangement of  work schedules so that some employees are present at  the work premises all 24 hours of the day . Though the shift timings and hours vary from country to country depending on the local labor laws, in most organizations, 24 hours is usually divided into three shifts of 8 hours each. There may be some overlap between 2 shifts as the supervisor from one shift hands over charge to the supervisor for the next shift to ensure smooth operation.

Many companies have an office and factory in the same premises, and the timings of  the day shift often coincide with the office timings for these companies, so that resources are utilized efficiently. In service industries, the number of  shifts in a day is usually constant through out the year,  but for manufacturing industries, the  number of shifts depends on order booking position.

When there are lot of orders to be completed and production is to be maximized, the factory may operate in multiple shifts. Soon after the end of  the financial year,  production is less and only a single shift is sufficient .

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