In brief
In fasting workers, fatigue and loss of attention become pronounced especially in the afternoon and in the hours close to iftar. Moving critical tasks such as work at height, hot work and forklift operation to the morning, arranging breaks around iftar and planning a suhoor arrangement on the night shift reduce the risks. In conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease and regular medication use, the decision should be made together with the workplace physician.
Why should workplace safety in Ramadan be planned separately?
In 2027, Ramadan falls in February and March. Because days are short at the end of winter, the fasting period is shorter than in the summer months, and heat stress is generally lower. Even so, separate planning is needed for workplace safety in Ramadan, because heat is not the only source of risk:
- Sleep patterns change: Getting up for suhoor interrupts night-time sleep. Sleep debt accumulating as the days go by can adversely affect attention and reaction time.
- Blood sugar and fluid balance change: No food or fluids are taken all day. Headaches, weakness and difficulty concentrating increase in the afternoon.
- Habits are interrupted: Workers used to tea, coffee and cigarettes may experience headaches and irritability in the first days.
- The risky hours shift: The loss of attention becomes pronounced in the few hours before iftar; the rush to get home in time for iftar also increases traffic risk at the end of the shift.
Whether or not to fast is the worker’s personal decision. The task of the employer and the OHS team is to respect this decision and organise work, shifts and health surveillance for this period. In shift-based production facilities in Bursa and neighbouring provinces, this planning should be done in the week before Ramadan begins.
Fasting worker fatigue: when does attention drop?
| Time of day | Common situation | What it means for OHS |
|---|---|---|
| First hours after suhoor | Grogginess due to interrupted sleep | Attention check in the first hour of the morning shift |
| Morning and midday | Relatively the most productive period | The best time for critical tasks requiring attention |
| Afternoon | Weakness, headache, longer reaction time | Focus on routine, low-risk tasks |
| The 1–2 hours before iftar | Marked fatigue, haste, impatience | Do not start a new critical task; limit driving |
| Immediately after iftar | Drowsiness after a heavy meal | Start the first hour of the night shift with light tasks |
This table shows a general trend; not every worker experiences it in the same way. Foremen and shift supervisors need to watch their teams more closely during this period and be able to take a worker who “looks tired” off a risky task temporarily. We set out the general framework of fatigue management in shift work in our article on OHS in shift production in Bursa OIZs.
Timing critical tasks
When fasting and heavy work coincide, the most effective measure is to change the timing of the work. Throughout Ramadan, move the following tasks to the first half of the shift as far as possible:
- Work at height, roof and scaffold work,
- Welding, grinding and other hot work,
- Intensive loading and unloading requiring forklifts, cranes and construction machinery,
- Die changes, press setting and maintenance requiring energy isolation,
- Chemical transfer, tank cleaning and confined space entry,
- Tasks involving intensive manual handling: preparing shipments, unloading raw materials.
Leave lower-risk tasks such as documentation, training, housekeeping and quality control for the afternoon. The person planning can apply the same timetable to everyone without knowing who is fasting; this is a practical way of reducing risk without asking about health or religious beliefs.
Iftar shift arrangements and rest breaks
Under Art. 68 of Labour Law No. 4857, the rest break is given around the middle of the daily working time, arranged according to local custom and the requirements of the work. For work longer than seven and a half hours it is one hour. As a rule these breaks are given without interruption; however, taking into account climate, season, local custom and the nature of the work, they may be split by agreement. Moving the rest break to iftar time or splitting it during Ramadan can be considered within this framework.
An example arrangement by shift type:
| Shift | Suggested arrangement in Ramadan |
|---|---|
| 08:00–16:00 | Critical tasks in the morning; the lunch break can be used as rest by fasting workers; make sure shuttle times at the end of the shift are not disrupted |
| 16:00–24:00 | The rest break is aligned with iftar time; the canteen prepares an iftar menu; the first hour after iftar starts with relatively light tasks |
| 24:00–08:00 | A suhoor meal is planned within the shift; to counter the drop in attention after suhoor, critical tasks are moved to the first half of the night |
For a worker on the night shift who is fasting, interrupted sleep is the most marked problem. Not changing these workers’ shift rotation during Ramadan reduces the burden of adapting to a new sleep pattern.
Dehydration in fasting workers and hot environments
Even though Ramadan falls at the end of winter, workers in hot environments such as foundries, furnace areas, ovens, boiler rooms, stenters and drying machines are at greater risk in Ramadan than during the rest of the year. Because no fluids are taken during the day, water and salt lost through sweat cannot be replaced. In these departments:
- Increase the frequency of rotation in tasks close to the heat source,
- Keep a cool rest area accessible on every shift,
- Immediately remove from the heat any worker reporting dizziness, muscle cramps, excessive sweating or nausea,
- Inform first aiders about the signs of heat stress.
For what to do when heat stress progresses to heatstroke, see our article on heatstroke symptoms and response.
Health conditions the physician flags
In some health conditions, fasting combined with the load of the work can have serious consequences. This decision is made by the worker together with their own physician; the workplace physician assesses fitness for work and, if necessary, recommends a change of duty or shift. Refer workers with the following conditions to the workplace physician before Ramadan begins:
| Condition | Why is it important? |
|---|---|
| Diabetic worker using insulin or blood sugar-lowering medication | Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) causes dizziness, clouded consciousness and accident risk |
| Kidney disease or history of kidney stones | Fluid restriction may cause deterioration |
| Use of diuretics, blood pressure or heart medication | Changes in medication timing and fluid loss may cause a drop in blood pressure |
| Epilepsy | Changes in medication timing and lack of sleep may increase the risk of seizures |
| Pregnancy and breastfeeding | Physician assessment is needed |
| Duties requiring a fitness-for-work report, such as work at height or operating construction machinery | Sudden illness can have serious consequences for the person and those around them |
Health information is confidential (Art. 15/5 of Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety). The supervisor is given not the information “this worker is diabetic” but a work-related recommendation such as “do not assign work at height during this period”. The physician can also explain that a fasting worker who feels unwell may need to break their fast and that this is the right decision from a health perspective.
Pre-Ramadan checklist
- Have critical tasks been rescheduled to the first half of shifts?
- Have rest breaks and canteen hours been arranged around iftar and suhoor?
- Are shuttle times aligned with iftar and the end of shifts?
- Have rotation and a rest area been planned in hot departments?
- Have workers with chronic illnesses been referred to the workplace physician?
- Have shift supervisors been informed about the signs of fatigue and their authority to remove someone from a task?
- Has the distribution of first aiders across shifts been checked?
We carry out health assessments and shift recommendations for the Ramadan period within our workplace physician service. To plan other seasonal OHS work during the year, you can use our OHS calendar tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the employer obliged to shorten working hours during Ramadan?
There is no Ramadan-specific reduction in working hours in the Labour Law. However, the rest break may be split by agreement, taking into account climate, season and local custom; arrangements around iftar time can be made within this framework.
Can a fasting worker do heavy work?
There is no general ban for a healthy worker. However, heavy and hot work should be moved to the morning as far as possible, rotation should be increased, and the workplace physician’s assessment should be obtained for workers with chronic illnesses.
What is done for a worker who feels unwell because of fasting?
The worker is immediately taken off risky work, seated in a cool place and a first aider is called. If there is clouded consciousness, a seizure or fainting, call 112. The worker is prevented from going home alone and from driving.
Is it necessary to ask who is fasting?
No. Measures such as moving critical tasks to the morning can be applied equally to everyone. Special arrangements depending on health status are based on the worker’s confidential consultation with the workplace physician.
A physician assigned for the time your hazard class requires: pre-employment and periodic examinations, fitness-for-work reports and health surveillance.
Bursa SİSTEMER OSGB Technical Team — written from the field experience of our OHS specialists and workplace physicians. Legal information is valid as of the publication/update date; contact us for an assessment specific to your business.