ABSTRACT

According to the 3rd EU Survey on Working Conditions, carried out in 2000 in 15 European countries and involving 21 703 workers, people who do normal or standard daytime work (i.e. between 7.30 and 8 a.m. and 5 and 6 p.m. and from Monday to Friday), that is those who do not work more than 40 hours per week, more than 10 hours per day, on shifts, at night, on Sunday and/or Saturday, and part-time, represent nowadays only 24% of the whole population, in particular 27% of employed and 8% of selfemployed workers. Moreover, about 20% of workers in industrialized countries are involved in shift work including night work.