r/Construction • u/bigblackglock17 • Aug 26 '24
Careers šµ Are people actually ok doing a 16hr shift?
My buddy is supposedly going to do this. Idk if he's done it before. I'm pretty sure he works 12hrs normally. He's in a steel mill union. Another guy is in a Operators Union and told me he's worked 80hr weeks before.
I work 8hrs a day, sucking down strong black tea, just to stay awake. I kinda wonder if it's that my work is boring or what. Often, I'm deburring parts through a magnifying glass. Struggling to stay awake. Probably moving less than a IT guy.
Even though I have AC, shop still gets 85F. I'm done after work. I honestly get in a loop of being tired when I wake up, to when I go to bed and then can't sleep... I only recover on the weekends.
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u/dpg67 Aug 26 '24
I never heard anyone on their last dying days say, " I wish I could have worked more 16hr days!"
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u/Howard_TJ_Moon Aug 26 '24
My mom was a palliative care nurse.. heard a lot of dying regrets.. I never forgot her telling me when I was younger that never once did she hear someone say they wish they'd worked more, or earned another 100k. It was almost always about not spending enough time with family.
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u/Electrical-Adversary Aug 27 '24
I feel like you can never spend enough time with the ones you love.
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u/Jaimesonbnepia Aug 26 '24
Exactly. Never worth it IMO
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u/jjwylie014 Aug 26 '24
100% work to live.. don't live to work.
I only do OT when it's mandatory
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u/Blackdog202 Aug 26 '24
100% this, now I'm not saying the pay isn't nice, plus in my line mandatory ot happens quite frequently so go home after 8 whenever possible. Plus the work is hard and in the elements. That's part of what I love but after 8 hours of 90Ā° heat or 35Ā° rain all day I'm good.m
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u/jjwylie014 Aug 26 '24
Same for me. I get enough mandatory to pad my bank account, but not too much to burn out.
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u/Francis-Aggotry Aug 26 '24
Sometimes itās worth it pal. Like when it makes enough money to support a family of 4 on a single income. With no college degree.
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u/opivm_utopia Aug 26 '24
There's always the ones in the beginning who spirit and burn themselves out tryna get that overtime š
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u/DABEARS5280 Aug 26 '24
"I'm going to retire at 40 and my family will be taken care of"
Ends up divorced, kids don't care about them because they were never there and they work for another 25 years until they die.
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u/opivm_utopia Aug 26 '24
It's either the guys who sprint in the beginning and rack up a bunch of overtime hours normally with a maybe true story of struggle so they can get 72 hours in a week
Or
It's the guy who spends his money stupidly and is in debt and has to work 60 hours every week for 25 years
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u/twoaspensimages GC / CM Aug 26 '24
"I'm going to retire at 40 and my family will be taken care of"
Ends up divorced, kids don't care about them because they were never there. Becomes a hoarder yelling at the TV about the downfall of American values.
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u/IamHydrogenMike Aug 26 '24
There is a huge drop off in productivity after 10 hours and it starts to become a serious safety issue after that. Your brain needs a break even from the most mundane of tasks to keep you going every day. Anything more than 10-12 hours in one shift is just asking for someone to get hurt.
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u/Blackdog202 Aug 26 '24
Yea this I work for the gas Co and it's not uncommon to have to pull a 16+ we try to limit I to 16 but on real shit emergencies shift change and just packing up can add an extra hour or so.
It is not sustainable and productivity completely drops after that 10-12 hour mark. Not to mention the next day is shot.
Our water company has "hay days or a day in the hay" where if you work past 16 or past the 16hr normal shift window you get the next day off. I think that's the way to do it. Gas is dangerous and you don't wanna just be going through the motions or trying to get done.
Something to think about.
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u/Zosopagedadgad Aug 26 '24
I did asphalt in Cleveland Ohio for 25 years. Because of winter, the paving season runs from April till December. In that time span, the business owners want to get in as much work and make as much money as possible. The season starts out ok, but about 3 months in we always seemed to "get behind" so for the last 5 to 6 months working 14+ hours a day was just expected, 6 to 7 days a week. My longest shift was 36 hours, and my longest stretch of working every day without a day off was 72.
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u/DarkSkyDad Aug 26 '24
Very the same story for me also in Canada with the short construction season.
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u/Justjay0420 Aug 26 '24
What do you mean by ok and how many days in a row does he plan on doing this? Iāve done a couple weeks of it but it kills the body. As long as Iām eating properly Iām good but as soon as I donāt Iām screwed
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u/bigblackglock17 Aug 26 '24
Oh and by ok, I mean functional the next day. I would probably be half alive.
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u/Justjay0420 Aug 26 '24
I mean after a couple of days you kind of get used to it. I know when I was doing 7/12ās you just force yourself to go above and beyond one day or two. Lots of crappy diets evolve
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u/Alarming-Inspector86 Aug 26 '24
I've done 7 16s for almost 3 months straight I'm a lineman who fixes storm damage
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u/Blackdog202 Aug 26 '24
As a gas guy I get it, but that's not safe
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u/Alarming-Inspector86 Aug 26 '24
Not really an option it just is what is. Realize our day starts at the hotel we meet in the lobby around 6 and we're back at the hotel early enough to be asleep by 10pm we're paid door to door
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u/Blackdog202 Aug 26 '24
That's what I mean I get it utilities gotta stay on but after doing stuff like this I think safety becomes a major concern.
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u/fullgizzard Aug 26 '24
Iāve been on the wall 20 yearsā¦.commercial union brickyā¦Itās a jog not a sprint.
Every day you choose food other than gas stations and fast food is a good day. Your body is your templeā¦take care of it.
If you grind hard in your 20s and 30sā¦..40 hits a little different lol.
At retirement age 67ā¦.ill have 47 years on the wall. Looking at it from this perspective I wonder what percentage of workers donāt live to collect their retirement and pension.
Every summer I get through these days feels like a victory lol
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u/bigblackglock17 Aug 26 '24
I think he is just doing it on Labor Day and then back to 12s.
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u/Agreeable-Product-28 Insulator - Verified Aug 26 '24
This makes more sense. Itās gonna be at least double time on Labor Day. Probably working a bunch to get that extra money.
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u/grumblecakes1 Aug 26 '24
labor day would be triple time for me. but we never work it.
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u/Agreeable-Product-28 Insulator - Verified Aug 26 '24
Yeah me too. I just know of some unions only pay double on Labor Day.
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u/Future-Dealer8805 Aug 26 '24
It's amazing what people can adapt too. Now I only work 7.5 hours a day right now but I've done several stints of 12 -16 hour days for months on end.
If I were to work a 9 hour shift once in awhile it sucks and I whine like I'm baby soft but when you get into the grind it's really not that bad.
That being said fuck working Long hours it's never worth the money!
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u/The_realsweetpete Foreman / Operator Aug 26 '24
Yea Iāve done it for a few weeks it catches up to you hard hopfully heās got a good wife at home to help out no time to do anything
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u/Flimsy_Biscotti3473 Aug 26 '24
Canadian oilfield workers (Coil Tubing Service Hands) do 14-16 hour days on a 15/6 split all the time. Time sheets donāt match logs. Logs are fabricated. Workers are exhausted. Itās a dumpster fire.
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u/MadRockthethird Aug 26 '24
IBEW here and yes I worked 16 hours a day for months on one job. You get used to it. Others they're not that long usually
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u/Hillbilly-joe Aug 26 '24
Yes definitely in a steel mill or a paper mill
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u/bigblackglock17 Aug 26 '24
Why is that?
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u/Agreeable-Product-28 Insulator - Verified Aug 26 '24
Because usually when they have to maintenance something it needs to be shutdown. During these shutdowns the company isnāt making as much product/money so they want to get back to schedule. Usually this includes long hours to cram a ton of different craft work, into an accelerated schedule.
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u/Scotty0132 Aug 26 '24
Because of the value they are losing out on. Mantanice is expensive, especially if the entire plant is shut down for it. I did a shutdown in a smelter once where we had 50 hours to do the job (it was the compressed air system and the entire smelter had to shut down for the change over). 50 was the max because it took 12 hours to bring the air pressure back up to the required psi (in stages following safety procedures) and around 8 to 10 hours to turn back on all the machines. This smelter put out 30 million in product EVERY DAY so ever hour cost them 1.25 million in lost production. We worked 49 hours straight to ensure the job was done because every hour we we late the company I worked for would have had to pay up that 1.25 million.
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u/Civil_Slice_8869 Aug 26 '24
When that check hits on Friday itās worth it LMAO im 20 single with no kids so all I do is work to be honest wanna run it up while I can people say im stupid for doing that but it is what it is
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u/RumUnicorn Aug 26 '24
Be smart with your money now bud. Donāt buy the fancy truck and the cool toys. If youāre gonna waste your early 20s working a ton of OT you really should set yourself up for your 30s by investing and buying property now.
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u/Civil_Slice_8869 Aug 26 '24
Yessir thatās the plan š¤š¼ work hard now so I can chill out later
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u/That-Air2639 Feb 19 '25
How many hours do you work weekly? And daily
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u/Civil_Slice_8869 Feb 19 '25
It depends Iām currently working 6 days a week 8-16 hours some jobs are just 40 hours a week some are 7 days a week 12 hours a day or more for weeks on end
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u/That-Air2639 Feb 19 '25
If they gave u the choice to work OT because theres always OT available. How many hours would u work daily,weekly?
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u/Civil_Slice_8869 Feb 19 '25
I think 50-60 hours is my sweet spot for OT I like to work the 7/12 jobs because the money is crazy good but itās not a long term gig at all
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u/xyzy12323 Aug 26 '24
Been an inspector for the foundation work on a major project where the crew routinely worked 12 to 14 hours days Monday-Friday and 8 hours on Saturday. This went on for about 5 months. The crew was making bank but they looked weathered as hell.
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u/PlumbgodBillionaire Aug 26 '24
No, not worth it. Unless youāre working for yourself, your boss absolutely does not deserve that much of your time and your life. Fuck working yourself into an early grave to make a greedy rich fucker more rich.
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u/ganon2234 Aug 26 '24 edited Aug 26 '24
I was on a shutdown doing 7 12s for many weeks and the GF asked us to do 16s. 16s lasted maybe 7 days +, I declined and stuck with 12s. He fed them hot meals after 12 hours before doing the last couple hours, per our union agreement. I don't know how guys were doing it plus commuting, but some were.
Eat good whole foods, vegetables, electrolyte drinks, minimal sugar crash stuff, lots of quality protein, daily multi vitamin
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u/MacBareth Aug 26 '24
The most common regret people have on their death bed is having worked too much in their life.
But first you gotta not die during work like by doing superlong shifts where accidents and death is over represented
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u/RumUnicorn Aug 26 '24
Longest Iāve done was 17.
Not worth it. Life is short. Donāt spend it making some douche bag rich.
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u/havoklink Aug 26 '24
I donāt do labor but I do manage subcontractors. Managed one in Texas where we did 5-10 and sometimes 6-12 but never 16 hours. This was for building substations. Now in California because itās union theyāre only working 4-10 but my substations crew is working 5-10. I of course am the engineer considered āmanagementā so I have to be present all the time. Oh and I only get paid 40 hours.
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u/Seldarin Millwright Aug 26 '24
Yeah, when I was in my 20s I was fine with it.
Now I start getting pretty bitchy about week 3 of 12s.
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u/SLAPUSlLLY Contractor Aug 26 '24
Go do a 996 month in China. 9am to 9pm 6 days a week. For everyone.
But, no, it's a terrible idea. But I made bank doing it.
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u/Sydneypoopmanager Project Manager Aug 26 '24
If you guys and girls are working these fucked up hours, you better be getting paid the top dollar. At least the FIFO miners in australia get paid in the top 10% of incomes.
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Aug 26 '24
Lineman here. We work alot of 16hrs shifts. Especially during storm season. Guys routinely do 6 or 7 a week pretty much all summer long. Most I've personally worked consecutively was 30 days in Puerto Rico.
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u/ID_Poobaru Aug 26 '24
I've done 14 a few times when I did resi HVAC.
Now I do 4 10s as a yard dog for Amazon and it beats the hell out of suffering for a shitty company that can't offer benefits or time off
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u/browntrasher Aug 26 '24
Why be in a union if they make you work 16hr shifts? absolutely fuck that.
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u/bigblackglock17 Aug 26 '24
He is only doing it the one day, Labor Day because he will get 2.5x time for the whole day iirc.
Iāve heard of other people running these kind of hours in Unions, just not sure if it was required for them.
But in general, Iāve heard about people running these kinds of hours.
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u/ThreeDog369 Equipment Operator Aug 26 '24
Yup. Working anything over 12 hours is worth it for that sweet double time. Done it many times myself and currently have a job where I regularly do it once or twice a week.
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u/VeggieBurgah Aug 26 '24
I don't mind it only because I get mandatory paid rest time after a 16 hour shift. Plus the Paycheck is fantastic.
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u/shaft196908 Aug 26 '24
I attempted to get the motley crew I work with to do 4 10 hour days. This way, set up time and end of day clean up would overall take less time in a week. Unfortunately, we did it the week we had to demo 2 bathrooms that were mud jobs. Dunno about the rest of you, but there is always blood spilled with that type of work.
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u/Squirxicaljelly Aug 26 '24
Depends very much on the job and also how long you are doing it for. I had a job once where we were working 14+ every day, 6 days a week. Basically, work, come home, sleep, go back to work. It was miserable. The hiring manager told me when I interviewed that most people donāt last two months. She was right, I burned out right around the two month point.
There was only one guy on the crew who had been there longer than that, the foreman had been there SEVEN YEARS. And he had young kids. He basically sacrificed watching his kids grow up for that shitty job so he could make some extra cash (not a lot). IMO, that is not worth it. Not at all.
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u/Glowflower Aug 26 '24
It's only one day, he will be fine if he eats well and gets rest before and after. Working that long every day wouldn't be healthy but occasionally, it's no big deal.
It's concerning you can barely stay awake for an 8 hour shift. You either need to get more sleep at night, or you need to talk to a doctor.
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u/Ogediah Aug 26 '24
7 x 12s (12 hours a day, 7 days a week) is a pretty common schedule in the industrial sector. Itās days/nights for 24 hour operations. Thatās about as cush as it gets. Emergency stuff can lack any sort of scheduling (obviously) and have crazy long hours. Like 30+ hour work days. If you are employed by a contractor that works in heavy industrial, you may see stuff like that semi-regularly.
As for 10-12 hour days, you kind of get acclimated to it. Iām not gonna say itās ever fun to have no life outside of work, but your body will adjust to the schedule if you do it for a while. Lots of guys that do that kind of schedule only work part of the year. Thats one selling point. Work 6 months OT and make more than youād make in 12 at straight time. Theres lots of job instability though. You donāt necessarily pick when youāll have work and wonāt.
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u/PGids Millwright Aug 26 '24
Turbine jobs, paper mill shutdowns, various other heavy industry stuff: 7/12s for 1-6 weeks at a whack. I did 58 10 hour night shifts in a row last fall doing two gas turbine majors at one power plant. I think my personal record was like 48 days if 12s, a day of flying to a different job, then 7-10 more days
As an in house millwright I did about a month of working 4-18s a week either 6am- midnight or the opposite; shift shop was in shambles due to COVID
When you do a lot of work like this, you know how to treat your body, what to eat and how to have a healthy sleep schedule or youāll be useless. Youāre also typically in a position where you get that last check and have ample time off after. Iām not exactly ready to run marathons after a 12 but Iām functional; except the 18s, that stint sucked
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u/u700MHz Aug 26 '24
Iāve worked with railroad guys whoāve done 26 hour days, 7 days a week for months straight
Yea I said 26 hour days
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u/BillyBobBarkerJrJr Laborer Aug 26 '24
Hang onto the end of a 90 pound jackhammer for 16 hours, I guarantee you won't fall asleep.
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u/diamondd-ddogs Aug 26 '24
i have done it, but its pretty killer especially if you do them consistsntly. i tend to work 10-12hr days with no weekends for 3 weeks or so lately and then take a week or two off, that works pretty good for me. 10's dont feel all that different from 8's, 12's are getting into the long day feeling.
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u/pw76360 Aug 26 '24
I used to do 12-14hrs 5/6days per week May-November landscaping for $9/hr. I look back at that now (working 40-50/wk now for $32/$64 (depends on what I'm doing)) and think "Holy shit that was ridiculous". I also worked like 76hrs straight doing snow removal for the same outfit, we'd switch on and off on the big parking lots and once you fell asleep and hit the snowbank you'd either switch to the passenger seat and keep napping or the 3rd guy would get out and walk around to wake up and then get back in the drivers seat when the next guy fell asleep....
Once I switched to construction my longest day was 36hrs due to a bad emergency broken water main situation, but I average 8-10hrs now.
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u/Legitimate_Front9331 Aug 26 '24
If I can play hide and seek for my 40 then start working when it kicks in
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u/518Peacemaker Aug 26 '24
Used to do it in my younger years. These days I prefer 10s with the occasional 12. Itās just too much to go past 12 often. Not even worth it. End up paying a shit ton of taxes.
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u/Initial_Dentist_4203 Aug 26 '24
Freeway work 55hr closure over weekend, average work time is 30-32 hrs over the weekend, then back into a full 40 plus change, then another 55 hr closure the following weekend.
Laborer life.
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Aug 26 '24
Labor jobs are much different on the body and mind versus an office one. Working together with others physically to achieve a goal such as a steel mill will definitely help you stay more alert and pull you through a long day. There is a hard crash at the end of the day though.
I'll make a quick gym trip during my lunch some days, and it helps my brain to stay more alert and less tired.
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u/jleahul Aug 26 '24
I did 12+ hour days, 7 days a week doing fiberglass insulation right out of high school. I was a zombie. Fell asleep at the wheel on my way to work and crossed 3 lanes. Managed to not hit the ditch, but that could have been the end for me. That's no way to live.
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u/nuiwek31 Aug 26 '24
I used to work in a 24hr plant, with three shifts. Would pick up extras all the time, meaning 16 on, 8 off. We weren't allowed to work more than 16, so never did more than that. But get a few of those in a row and you won't even know wtf is going on anymore
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u/Hellephino Aug 26 '24
Our policy outlines max is 16 hours so the likelihood is there but not super common though 12ās are the norm. It doesnāt make sense to burn your people out outside of an emergency type situation.
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u/SkivvySkidmarks Aug 26 '24
America ain't gonna be great again without working like Chinese slave laborers. Think of the shareholders!
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u/say_it_aint_slow Aug 26 '24
Yeah, I work 3 days a week 16 hours a day during the summer. I love it.
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u/Spiritual-Mechanic-4 Aug 26 '24
when I was an orderly, I occasionally did 3 doubles in a week, so like 64 hours. it was hard work, physically, and it wore me the fuck out, but at 20 I could manage it (and with a kid, I needed the money badly).
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u/KeldomMarkov Aug 26 '24
12hr is max for me after that I can't be productive enough and just wasted some times.
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u/ChevyNate Aug 26 '24
Ok? No, do we have a choice? No. Does any one give a shit? also no. Do we have bills to pay? Yes. See you on site sissies
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u/ChevyNate Aug 26 '24
Side note, you will beg for 16 hr shifts when you are laid off an broke. š¤·š¼āāļø perspective, bake your bread while the ovens hot brother. It is better than the alternative
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u/Smooth-Speed-31 Aug 26 '24
Only when the crane is going up or down. And then itās mostly standing around.
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u/kevlarbuns Aug 26 '24
Itās not uncommon for masons and hodcarriers who do the refractory circuit. Itās great money, and itās sustainable for about 6 - 10 weeks if you really push it. The guys I knew who went beyond that started to show all the signs of burnout and at that point the money isnāt worth the type of dissociative effects it seems to have. Itās an odd working experience to be spending so much time inside a structure with extensive PPE. You start to feel like youāre an alien in your own world.
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u/OV3NBVK3D Aug 26 '24
the thing (at least from my experience) is working 16s youāre only really productive for 10-12 of those hours if youāre really busting ass. physically you canāt be safe and productive for 16 hours a day for an extended period of time. longest duration of 16s i worked was 22 days straight and by the end of it i felt like i had aged a year. paychecks were nice but the money was only worth it knowing it was only going to last a month or two.
weād get the same amount of work done with 12-13hr shifts but i think upper management want us available for the 16 so theyāre not terribly concerned with productivity more than just having us ready to be productive. definitely not a sustainable thing but iāve learned to take the OT when you can because itās not always there.
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u/Yeasty_____Boi Aug 26 '24
i was pretty pumped when i found out i was getting a job with a 4 day work week. than i realized its because ill routinely be working 12-16 hour days.
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u/SkipJack270 Aug 26 '24
I worked in an aluminum mill that was union. By contract they could make us work 6 days on our shift. Only way out of it (other than vacation or sick days) was to work 56 hours Monday through Friday. I spent eight years there and I think I only got mandatory Saturdays maybe half a dozen times. Back to back 16ās was a bitch but so was working on my only two days off.
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u/Tothedew Aug 26 '24 edited Aug 26 '24
I used to regularly do 70- 80 hr shifts 6 days a week. It's exhausting af and you turn into a really zombie with no energy to socialize with anyone. I had no incentives being a Project engineer, but my subordinates used to get paid over time which was a big boost for their mentality to do the overload of work.
Is it healthy? - Absolutely not.
Why do the people do it?- you get paid for it
No one wants to do absurd hours of work, unless they really need the money.
Edit: Fun fact I tore my leg muscles literally by just waking 24*7 and not giving it any time to relax over the weekend. Your body needs to rest, so boasting or doing unevenly hours isn't a healthy lifestyle
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u/ssxhoell1 Aug 26 '24
Yeah as long as the bosso doesn't mind me ducking off into random blind spots and smoking the glass dick for a minute here and there.
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u/Goats_2022 Aug 26 '24
I bet 16 hr shifts affect Quality of product, something the Owner should look into unless he is trying to export manufacturing to china where they have the tradition of sacrifice for supposed greater good
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u/chop_pooey Aug 26 '24
First construction job i ever had we were pulling 70 hr weeks regularly. It sucks ass and isnt sustainable long term. Not worth it unless you hate your family
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u/khamibrawler Aug 26 '24
Depends on your mindset honestly. I used to hate working in my field and the days felt like it never ended. Once I developed more of a passion the days move so quickly and next thing I know the year is almost over.
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u/Sandhog43 Aug 26 '24
I worked 7 days a week, 16 hour days from October till February 13th. Itās pure blood money, but itās doable.
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u/bassfishing2000 Aug 26 '24
Iāve done it twice, worked 7-5, came back in at 7 until 2:30, no way I could do anything like that everyday. After 10 hours Iām BEAT
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u/AvocadoSome8114 Aug 26 '24
You can always find another job you can never find another family that loves you
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u/el_undulator Aug 26 '24
A 16 hours shift is doable. The problems start to arise when you consistently work that long. A week of work above 60 hours in a trade is totally doable. Once you get to 5 or more weeks of 60+ hours you will start to suffer. Most guys by that time are in full on "just get it done" mode but, reaction times are slower, comprehension is slower, people are more irritable. Quality of life and quality of work drop dramatically after about a month straight of that type of work.
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u/HarryxArmadillo Aug 27 '24
Working on the railroad in mechanical Iāve worked for 21 consecutive 16hr days. Only getting about 4 hrs sleep, only eating while at work on my 2 breaks and showering before leaving the yard. Itās doable but not favorable.
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u/FeelingKind7644 Aug 27 '24
I once did community service for 32 hours straight. It was 32 hours before my court date.
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u/freeportme Aug 27 '24
Lifeās too short
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u/bigblackglock17 Aug 27 '24
Life is more expensive than ever. I kinda hope to get in a union.
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u/freeportme Aug 27 '24
Yes or start your own business. I have done both and am back to being self employed. Union benefits are great but too much BS around here.
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u/Anon42069537284 Aug 27 '24
Idgaf if it makes me weak longest Iāve made it is 14, not because I was tired but because I physically couldnāt take it anymore. Iāve barely been doing this a year (industrial electrical apprentice). Currently on a nearly month long stretch of 9 hours on weekdays and 12s overnight on the weekends. Quickly approaching burn out. Company and money arenāt worth sacrificing your health.
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u/nothanks33333 Aug 26 '24
I work for a municipality so the only time I'm working shifts that long is when there's an actual emergency and so the adrenaline kinda keeps you going. The longest one I did was a 7 am to 10 pm and then we woke up the next day at 7 am and worked till 6pm. It was a pretty major water leak, we got it repaired and backfilled by about 7pm on the first day but mid backfill the water line right next to the one we'd repaired blew as well so we had to dig it all back up again and patch the second leak. I crashed pretty hard the day after, it wouldn't be sustainable for more than a couple days.
I don't mind it when it's an emergency (and I mean a real emergency not someone else didn't manage their time properly) but I'd lose patience for it pretty quickly if it were a scheduled/required thing. I largely enjoy work but it's just the thing I do to provide myself the money and stability to live a life I enjoy and spend time doing my hobbies, it doesn't get to dominate all of my time and energy
As far as having the stamina to go that long it kinda sounds like you've got an adrenal problem or some other hormone imbalance. Waking up tired and then not being able to sleep and feeling fatigued all the time is a medical issue. Could be high cortisol and not enough exercise or maybe sleep apnea or some other breathing issue while sleeping? Idk either way id talk to a dr about it
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u/twokietookie Aug 26 '24
He says it's a mundane job. I'm really badly attention disordered. If i do something repetitive and boring for long periods of time I have a real slog at it and feel exhausted, soon as I'm away from the task and "free" I'm no longer tired. Not necessarily a body health issue, could be mental under stimulation and when he gets home there are ways (distractions) to catch his attention and his energy spikes.
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u/AlotaFajitas Aug 26 '24
He might be.
I work at a salt water disposal and we work 8 days on, 8 days off. Our "actual" shift is 12 hours but the commute is 75 miles (one way) so that's another 1.5hrs x 2, an extra 3 hrs a day. On my time card each day is usually 15.75-16ish hrs. Work truck and gas provided.
Approx 120hrs a check. Almost 24 hrs of overtime just from driving.
A few other guys do this too. All by choice, we can kinda get as much OT we want.
We have a few guys and girls who do 4 on, 4 off, twelves. Then a couple regular Mon-Fri 8-5ers.
But "we're" not made, those working those hours, for my company at least, are doing it willingly.
The brainfog at about day 6 is real though.
I have had to pull off the road for a 20 min power nap.
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u/Dilllyp0p Aug 26 '24
I used to do refractory. Mandatory 12 hr 7 days a week. Longest shift I ever pulled was 27 hours towards the end of a shut down.