Employers should give night shift workers free vitamin D – GMB Union June 2019

GMB Union

GMB Union has 620,000 members in the UK

Night shift workers should be provided with free Vitamin D by bosses to keep them healthy, GMB congress has said.

A motion passed by GMB’s Annual congress today (June 11, 2019) calls for supplements for ‘night workers who rarely get enough sunshine to produce it naturally’.

Whilst there's no intention to make this mandatory, or to force workers to take anything that they don't want to, a little prevention can make a huge difference, and in this case that has to be good news for everyone.

Dan Shears, GMB Health and Safety Director

The GMB should use all its influence to work with employers for the use of Vitamin ‘D’ supplements, and as it is a welfare issue, provide access to them in the workplace.

A recent medical study on almost 80,000 suggests vitamin D could cut the risk of dying from cancer.

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See also VitaminDWiki

• High Risk category listing has 67 items along with related searches
• Shift workers have low vitamin D, poorer sleep, and are more depressed – March 2019
• Shiftworkers and Indoor Workers have lower Vitamin D levels – review of 10 studies Sept 2018
• Night shift workers far more likely to have low vitamin D levels – May 2016
• 40 percent lower vitamin D level if work other shifts (Italy) – June 2015
• Allergies and low vitamin D strongly associated with night shift bakers– Sept 2014
• Shiftwork diseases are often due to lack of vitamin D

Cost Savings of Vitamin D

• Workplace benefts VP likes Vitamin D – March 2019
• Presenteeism reduces productivity (Vitamin D can help)
• Higher vitamin D might result in higher productivity – 2017
• Health Insurance company still giving free Vitamin D to members who are deficient – Oct 2023

Cost savings with Vitamin D includes the following

158 items include:

• Vitamin D has been found to be cost-effective by many studies
• Estimated cost savings of getting most Canadians to 40 ng of Vitamin D - 2016
• Severe asthmatics willing to pay 5180 dollars for relief, Vitamin D needed costs only 45 dollars – Sept 2023
• People with extremely low vitamin D levels consume 2X more health care dollars – 2018
• Reduce 4 health problems by a quarter if increase Vitamin D to 30 ng – Saudi Arabia, Grant March 2023
• The top 10 medical expenses can all be decreased by vitamin D
• VA showed increased vitamin D associated with lower health costs - Lancet May 2012
• Diabetes prevented by 50,000 IU vitamin D monthly (Iran) – Jan 2022
• People with extremely low vitamin D levels consume 2X more health care dollars – 2018
• Giving free vitamin D to every Iranian would pay for itself by just reducing CVD – Oct 2021
• Heart attack ICU costs cut in half by Vitamin D – Oct 2018
• Medical problems are thought to be a cause of 66 percent of bankruptcies – April 2019
• Vitamin D is the 3rd most important contributor to health, following exercise and food
• 10 fewer days of ICU Mechanical Ventilation 300,000 IU injection of vitamin D – RCT March 2019
• Employers gain 10 dollars in productivity for every dollar spent on giving Vitamin D for free
• Employers should give night shift workers free vitamin D – GMB Union June 2019
• Biology of Vitamin D – 30ng min., 50ng preferred, 1000X lower cost than health problem – Feb 2019
• Dutch Vitamin D cost-effectivity Calculations (they prescribe 100,000 IU for Multiple Sclerosis) – Jan 2022
• Vitamin D is needed before most surgeries – many studies and RCTs
• 10 fewer days of ICU Mechanical Ventilation 300,000 IU injection of vitamin D – RCT March 2019
• ICU cost reduced by at least 27,000 dollars if get high dose vitamin D in first week - April 2017
• If you cannot readily get medical treatment, consider Alternative Med such as vitamin D