Most people in the United States look forward to daylight saving time every spring. We lose an hour of sleep but gain an extra hour of sunshine in the evening.

Jon L. Gelman

While many people enjoy the extra sunshine, they may not know the dangers of this switch. Studies have shown that the Monday following the switch to daylight saving time is more dangerous for workplace injuries.

A study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology examined workplace injuries in miners, using data from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The researchers compared the number of injuries in the workplace in the years 1983-2006 on the Monday following the switch to daylight saving time with all other Mondays in those years. They found a significant increase in the number of injuries and severity on Mondays following the switch to daylight saving time. The researchers also examined the switch from daylight saving in the fall, but they did not find any increase in workplace injuries at that time.

Why does this happen?

The authors suggest that the increase in injuries in the spring is because people lose an hour of sleep when the clocks move forward, leading to injuries. They also examined this hypothesis in a study using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and they found that people reported sleeping an average of 40 minutes less on the Monday following the switch to daylight saving time. This result further supports their hypothesis that sleep loss is the culprit.

What can be done?

The authors suggest a couple of strategies employers can take to help reduce the number of injuries next year. First, they suggest not scheduling any dangerous or risky work for that Monday. While they don't elaborate on what this might include, it likely provides work at heights, work with heavy machinery and work with dangerous chemicals.

Second, they suggest increasing the number of safety monitors on that Monday to help offset their employees' lack of alertness.

Another strategy not discussed by the authors is to allow employees to work a half shift on this day to get some extra sleep. Though this may not be feasible for all workplaces, it could be accomplished by some creative scheduling. For example, some employees could work a half day in the morning, and others could work half the afternoon. By taking this approach, employers could ensure that the workplace is never at full capacity but that all the necessary work still gets done.

These changes do not need to be implemented following the switch back to standard time in the fall, as this change does not increase workplace injuries.

Claimants' attorney Jon L. Gelman is the author of "New Jersey Workers’ Compensation Law" and co-author of the national treatise "Modern Workers’ Compensation Law." He is based in Wayne, New Jersey. This blog post is republished with permission.