Monday morning work really is bad for you

A study of 750,000 workers compensation statistics has revealed that 'morningitis' is a real workplace risk. Dr Eric Wigglesworth (AM) presented his analysis of 20 years of workers compensation claims to delegates at the recent Safety In Action conference in Melbourne.

Dr Wigglesworth holds a Master of Science, Doctor of Applied Science and the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Medicine, and in 2000 was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to public health and to accident prevention.

Dr Wigglesworth's study of Queensland data shows that every weekday morning was more hazardous than the afternoon but the effect was most pronounced on Monday and gradually tapered off during the week.

"What is new in this study is that there are more injuries on Mondays than on Tuesdays than on Wednesdays than on Thursdays than on Fridays, and this is due primarily to the reduction in the morning and not the afternoon totals. To my knowledge, this has not previously been reported anywhere else in the world," Dr Wigglesworth said in his address to the conference.

"Most previous studies were based on far smaller numbers and concentrated on the so-called 'Monday morning excess' attributed to those workers who suffered a weekend sprain or strain or other injury not requiring immediate medical attention and who staggered in on Monday to claim an injury at work. The results of this study show these spurious claims actually represent just a tiny 1% of claims."

More research is needed to try to determine the cause, according to Dr Wigglesworth.

"The best working hypothesis currently available, based on these data, is that increased experience results in a reduction of injuries, although this is nullified by fatigue over long periods of exposure," Dr Wigglesworth said.