LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The CDC says that these workers pose a serious and potentially fatal risk to themselves and coworkers.

Those who work the graveyard shift, from midnight to 8 a.m., are especially at risk. In a survey of more than 15,000 workers, 44 percent of night-shift workers reported not getting enough sleep with rates highest among workers in the transportation or warehouse industries, followed by health care and social assistance workers.

"There about 41 million workers who aren't getting the recommended amount of sleep," study author Dr. Sara Luckhaupt, a medical officer in the division of surveillance with the CDC says.

"Not surprisingly, workers who work the night shift are more likely to not get enough sleep," she said, adding people who work more than one job or more than 40 hours a week are also likely to get too little sleep.

A poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation poll found that 50 percent of pilots, 44 percent of truck drivers, and 29 percent of bus, taxi and limousine drivers rarely got a good night's sleep on workdays.

According to the CDC an estimated 20 percent of vehicle crashes are linked to drowsy driving. In 2010, a total of 4,547 workers died from occupational injuries, and approximately 49,000 died from work-related illnesses.

Among all workers surveyed for the new study, those in middle age groups of 30 to 44 years (31.6 percent) and 45 to 64 years (31.8 percent) were significantly more likely than workers aged 18 to 29 years (26.5 percent) or older than 65 years (21.7 percent) to report a short night's sleep.

Dr. Michael J. Breus says that if you fall asleep in less than 10 minutes, you're probably sleep deprived. Another sign is "if you hit the snooze button more than twice you are probably sleep-deprived," Breus said.

Luckhaupt says that employers should take steps to make sure their workers are getting enough sleep, such as by tweaking night shift schedules or imposing limits on consecutive shifts.

Employers should also have wellness initiatives that encourage workers to go to sleep at the same time every night and create a relaxing bedroom environment.

Besides going a long way towards workplace safety, getting the right amount of sleep can boost a person's health. A study earlier this month found people who don't get sufficient sleep significantly raise their risks for diabetes and obesity.

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