Objectives
To examine the relationships of strenuous and hazardous working
conditions and rotating shifts that involve night working with life
expectancy in good perceived health and life expectancy without chronic
disease.

Methods
The sample contained male gas and electricity workers from the French
GAZEL cohort (n=13 393). Six measures of physical working conditions
were examined: Self-reports from 1989 and 1990 of ergonomic strain,
physical danger, rotating shifts that involve night working and
perceived physical strain; company records of workplace injuries and a
job-exposure matrix of chemical exposures. Partial healthy life
expectancies (age 50–75) relating to (1) self-rated health and (2)
chronic health conditions, obtained from annual questionnaires
(1989–2014) and company records, were estimated using multistate life
tables. The analyses were adjusted for social class and occupational
grade.

Results
Participants with physically strenuous jobs and who had experienced
industrial injuries had shorter partial life expectancy. More physically
demanding and dangerous work was associated with fewer years of life
spent in good self-rated health and without chronic conditions, with the
exception of shift work including nights, where the gradient was
reversed.

Conclusions
Strenuous and hazardous work may contribute to lost years of good
health in later life, which has implications for individuals' quality of
life as well as healthcare use and labour market participation.