Health behaviours of Australian fly-in, fly-out workers and partners during on-shift and off-shift days: an ecological momentary assessment study

Abstract

ObjectivesFly-in, fly-out (FIFO) work involves long commutes, living on-site for consecutive days and returning home between shifts. This unique type of work requires constant transitioning between the roles and routines of on-shift versus off-shift days. This study aims to examine health behaviour patterns of FIFO workers and FIFO partners during on-shift and off-shift time frames.DesignThis study used ecological momentary assessment and multilevel modelling to examine daily health behaviours.SettingFIFO workers and FIFO partners from across Australia responded to daily online surveys for up to 7 days of on-shift and up to 7 days of off-shift time frames.ParticipantsParticipants included 64 FIFO workers and 42 FIFO worker partners.ResultsWorkers and partners reported poorer sleep and nutrition quality for on-shift compared with off-shift days. Both workers and partners exercised less, smoked more cigarettes, took more physical health medication and drank less alcohol during on-shift compared with off-shift days.ConclusionsFIFO organisations should consider infrastructure changes and support services to enhance opportunities for quality sleep and nutrition, sufficient exercise, moderate alcohol consumption and cigarette cessation for workers on-site and their partners at home.

Comparing the Effects of FIFO/DIDO Workers Being Home versus Away on Sleep and Loneliness for Partners of Australian Mining Workers

“…Further, partners' sleep quality was significantly poorer when FIFO/DIDO workers were away compared to when they were home. This finding is consistent with literature which showed that partners' sleep quality was negatively influenced when FIFO workers were away [14]. In addition to sleep being a shared behaviour (i.e., influenced by the presence or absence of the FIFO/DIDO worker), it is also considered to be gendered, suggesting that women are more likely to be impacted by environmental and relationship stresses [45][46][47].…”

“…Until recently, the evidence relating to sleep disturbances for workers and partners in the FIFO/DIDO context was largely subjective [ 8 ]. A study examining health behaviours of FIFO workers and partners using self-report measures found that workers and partners reported poorer sleep quality, poorer nutrition, less relaxation time, reduced exercise, and smoked more cigarettes when the partner was away compared to when they were home [ 14 ]. A second study reported that partners experience similar levels of fatigue as the worker across the FIFO/DIDO roster and found partners’ fatigue and depression were worst during the middle of shift times when the worker was away [ 15 ].…”

University Students’ Preferences for Labour Conditions at a Mining Site: Evidence from Two Australian Universities

“…Mining companies therefore need to consider not only the safety at the mining site but also the working environment of drilling and blasting if they want to more employ workers for such tasks. Moreover, the results of the conditional logit model indicate that students prefer not to live near the site, despite unfavorable effects on the mental health and lifestyle of the worker and the family associated with fly-in fly-out have been reported in Australia [24][25][26][27]. This result implies a possibility that psychological and physical risk by labour conditions might not be well understood or recognized by students.…”

Differential Analysis of Adaptation Strategies of Fly-In-Fly-Out Personnel

“…Previous studies have established that the professional activities of fly-in-fly-out workers in the Far North and the Arctic require the creation of conditions for physiological, psychological and sociopsychological adaptation (Adams et al, 2019;Albrecht & Anglim, 2018;Khasnulin & Khasnulina, 2012;Korneeva et al, 2017;Korneeva & Simonova, 2018;Mette et al, 2019;Miller et al, 2019;Vojnovic & Bahn, 2015). Activities in extreme conditions impose special requirements on the professional adaptation of workers, which is due to a combination of many adverse environmental factors and the unpredictability of stressful or emergency situations (Velasco Garrido et al, 2018;Mette et al, 2018;Gardner et al, 2018;Rebar et al, 2018;Sibbel et al, 2016). In such conditions, adaptation always has an unfinished look and the result of the adaptation process will be formed adaptation strategies.…”