Late shifts
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.