Objective This paper discusses the past and present highlights of working hours and health research and identifies key research needs for the future.

Method We analyzed over 220 original articles and reviews on working hours and health in the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health published during the last 50 years. Key publications from other journals were also included.

Results The majority of identified articles focussed on the effects of shift and night work, with fewer studying long and reduced working hours and work time control. We observed a transition from small-scale experimental and intensive field studies to large-scale epidemiological studies utilizing precise exposure assessment, reflecting the recent emergence of register-based datasets and the development of analytic methods and alternative study designs for randomized controlled designs. The cumulative findings provide convincing evidence that shift work and long working hours, which are often associated with night work and insufficient recovery, increase the risk of poor sleep and fatigue, sickness absence, occupational injuries, and several chronic health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. The observed risks are strongly modified by individual and work-related factors.

Conclusions Although the observed health risks of shift work and long working hours are mostly low or moderate, the widespread prevalence of exposure and the hazardousness of the many associated potential outcomes makes such working time arrangements major occupational health risks. Further research is needed to identify exposure–response associations, especially in relation to the chronic health effects, and to elucidate underlying pathways and effective personalized intervention strategies.

This article refers to the following texts of the Journal: 1999;25(2):85-99  1999;25(6):610-615  2001;27(2):87-96  2003;29(1):22-26  2003;29(1):27-34  2003;29(3):171-188  2006;32(3):232-240  2006;32(6):502-514  2007;33(1):51-57  2007;33(3):204-215  2008;34(3):198-205  1994;20(1):55-61  1991;17(5):330-336  1981;7(2):141-151  1980;6(4):283-290  1975;1(4):254-262  2010;36(2):109-121  2010;36(2):96-108  2010;36(2):163-179  2010;36(2):121-133  2011;37(1):77-79  1981;7(3):196-203  2011;37(1):54-61  2012;38(5):418-426  2012;38(4):314-326  2012;38(4):299-313  2012;38(4):291-297  2013;39(3):241-258  2013;39(5):431-447  2014;40(1):5-18  2014;40(6):543-556  2014;40(6):557-568  2015;41(3):268-279  2016;42(2):153-161  2017;43(1):59-67  2017;43(2):109-116  2017;43(6):569-577  2017;43(6):578-586  2018;44(3):229-238  2018;44(3):239-250  2018;44(3):225-228  2018;44(4):394-402  2018;44(5):512-520  2018;44(4):385-393  2018;44(6):568-584  2019;45(2):166-173  2019;45(3):256-266  2020;46(5):469-479  2020;46(6):570-578  2020;46(6):645-649  2020;46(6):557-569  2021;47(5):356-366  2021;47(5):395-403  2021;47(6):415-424  2022;48(1):31-40  2022;48(3):200-209  2022;48(5):372-379  2022;48(7):520-529  2022;48(7):507-510  2023;49(2):108-116  2023;49(2):117-125  2023;49(4):271-282  2023;49(5):315-329  2023;49(6):439-448  2023;49(8):539-548  2024;50(1):3-10

Key terms health; long working hour; mechanism; research; research agenda; safety; shift work; study design; working hour

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