Longest work shift

beks101 · 13-12-2014 1:33am #1

I started work at 7.30am Friday morning.
I've been on-shift for 18 hours.
That's 18 hours with no lunch break, one coffee break where I got pulled back to my desk because of another work crisis, and two toilet breaks.
I need sugar, alcohol, sleep and to punch a wall very hard.

What's the longest shift you've ever worked and why?

ETA: I did get free hula hoops though. BBQ beef flavour. I ate three packets.

AlekSmart · 13-12-2014 1:37am

beks101 wrote: »

I started work at 7.30am Friday morning.
I've been on-shift for 18 hours.
That's 18 hours with no lunch break, one coffee break where I got pulled back to my desk because of another work crisis, and two toilet breaks.
I need sugar, alcohol, sleep and to punch a wall very hard.

What's the longest shift you've ever worked and why?

ETA: I did get free hula hoops though. BBQ beef flavour. I ate three packets.

Are ye prepared to Blow a Whistle ?

Kevin McCloud · 13-12-2014 1:37am

Worked 3 days and nights straight at silage one year, was a bad year and the weather came good for a few days so time was precious.

Frosty McSnowballs · 13-12-2014 1:43am

Regularly do 24hr shifts. Mostly just trying to stay awake than actually doing stuff though.

Most iv gone without a day off is about 4 months.

Most iv stayed awake because of work is 10 days. Active all the time for that though.

Icemancometh · 13-12-2014 1:43am

36 hours as an intern in a regional hospital, one shift in a particularly bad 110 hour week. I've seen people do 50+ hour shifts as well.

MrCreosote · 13-12-2014 1:51am

Saturday 10am to Monday 6pm- no sleep. Driving home after that was interesting to say the least.

PucaMama · 13-12-2014 1:54am

and i thought the 12 hour nursing shifts were bad

WhiteWalls · 13-12-2014 1:59am

Kevin McCloud wrote: »

Worked 3 days and nights straight at silage one year, was a bad year and the weather came good for a few days so time was precious.

thats crazy, fair enough if somebody is to fall asleep at a desk but its a different story if your at the wheel with a load of grass on. How did u not fall asleep?

Jen Pigs Fly · 13-12-2014 2:00am

My longest was 8am Thursday morning until 4.30am Friday morning - 20.5 hour shift. Went home slept for 4 hours and then back in to do a 9am-9pm shift.

Never felt anything like it was dead on my feet by the end of it!

fonecrusher1 · 13-12-2014 2:05am

Worked 60+ hour shifts a number of times as a labourer a few years ago.

WhiteWalls · 13-12-2014 2:06am

Frosty McSnowballs wrote: »

Regularly do 24hr shifts. Mostly just trying to stay awake than actually doing stuff though.

Most iv gone without a day off is about 4 months.

Most iv stayed awake because of work is 10 days. Active all the time for that though.

10 days, calling bulls""t on that one

hidinginthebush · 13-12-2014 2:09am

Frosty McSnowballs wrote: »

Regularly do 24hr shifts. Mostly just trying to stay awake than actually doing stuff though.

Most iv gone without a day off is about 4 months.

Most iv stayed awake because of work is 10 days. Active all the time for that though.

Jaysus what were you doing that you needed to be up for 10 days?

buyer95 · 13-12-2014 2:09am

WhiteWalls wrote: »

10 days, calling bulls""t on that one

Yeah, your in death by exhaustion stage there.

beks101 · 13-12-2014 2:13am

Icemancometh wrote: »

36 hours as an intern in a regional hospital, one shift in a particularly bad 110 hour week. I've seen people do 50+ hour shifts as well.

Frosty McSnowballs wrote: »

Regularly do 24hr shifts. Mostly just trying to stay awake than actually doing stuff though.

Most iv gone without a day off is about 4 months.

Most iv stayed awake because of work is 10 days. Active all the time for that though.

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

Worked 60+ hour shifts a number of times as a labourer a few years ago.

WHAT THE FCUKING FCUK.
YOU PEOPLE NEED TO TAKE A HOLIDAY.

Frosty McSnowballs · 13-12-2014 2:16am

WhiteWalls wrote: »

10 days, calling bulls""t on that one

It was a once off, your body is an amazing machine.

Kevin McCloud · 13-12-2014 2:17am

WhiteWalls wrote: »

thats crazy, fair enough if somebody is to fall asleep at a desk but its a different story if your at the wheel with a load of grass on. How did u not fall asleep?

I was young at the time and little sleep used do me anyway. Its a hard one to explain as you would be on the verge of falling asleep but open the window or have a smoke do something and a second wind would kick in. In the finish it was getting dangerous and stupid, be a fine thing if i was drunk driving compared to sleep deprivation.

Frosty McSnowballs · 13-12-2014 2:18am

buyer95 wrote: »

Yeah, your in death by exhaustion stage there.

Completely, simple tasks just end up confusing the fcuk out of you at that stage.

I couldn't understand why I had two white hands and one black hand at the end of it. Turns out I was holding a leather glove. Head was melted altogether.

Voodoomelon · 13-12-2014 2:20am

Not a shift as such, but I'm currently in the middle of a 38 day stint of work, with 2 days off. The two days were weeks ago, 24 days straight since, 9 hours a pop. The joys of being self employed, a lot to be said for just walking out the door at 5.

WhiteWalls · 13-12-2014 2:21am

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Not a shift as such, but I'm currently in the middle of a 38 day stint of work, with 2 days off. The two days were weeks ago, 24 days straight since, 9 hours a pop. The joys of being self employed, a lot to be said for just walking out the door at 5.

bet your looking forward to the prostitutes and cocaine at xmas tho?

AnonoBoy · 13-12-2014 2:23am

hidinginthebush wrote: »

Jaysus what were you doing that you needed to be up for 10 days?

A f*ck load of cheap amphetamines?

Voodoomelon · 13-12-2014 2:24am

They can take what they like as I sleep on the floor.

Frosty McSnowballs · 13-12-2014 2:27am

hidinginthebush wrote: »

Jaysus what were you doing that you needed to be up for 10 days?

Counting 8 billion sheep

WhiteWalls · 13-12-2014 2:31am

Frosty McSnowballs wrote: »

Counting 8 billion sheep

you were asleep for most of it i'd imagine

Frosty McSnowballs · 13-12-2014 2:40am

WhiteWalls wrote: »

you were asleep for most of it i'd imagine

Nope, awake for the whole lot of it. Had plenty of 2 to 3 minute nods throughout the 10 days but no actual sleep.

It wasn't pleasant but it can be done. Enough about me, so, what has been your longest shift?

Kevin McCloud · 13-12-2014 2:42am

Frosty McSnowballs wrote: »

Nope, awake for the whole lot of it. Had plenty of 2 to 3 minute nods throughout the 10 days but no actual sleep.

Having nods and plenty of them is not staying awake for 10 days.

beks101 · 13-12-2014 2:48am

Frosty McSnowballs wrote: »

Completely, simple tasks just end up confusing the fcuk out of you at that stage.

I couldn't understand why I had two white hands and one black hand at the end of it. Turns out I was holding a leather glove. Head was melted altogether.

Yeah kinda at that stage right now. Where your brain turns to mush and you can't process anything.

Reading over emails three or four times and it's just a jumble of words splattered on a screen with no meaning whatsoever. I forgot the word for "printer" about an hour ago. "Can you go and grab that hard copy, it's over at the - the - that yoke thing over there..."

petrolcan · 13-12-2014 2:51am

Longest I've done is 140(ish) hours straight. I did get to sleep for a few hours at night though. Couldn't do it now as the OH would be mightily pissed.

h2005 · 13-12-2014 2:52am

Is someone actually claiming to be up for 10 days straight?????????

Frosty McSnowballs · 13-12-2014 2:55am

Kevin McCloud wrote: »

Having nods and plenty of them is not staying awake for 10 days.

A nod was just closing my eyes for 2/3 minutes at a time not sleeping for 2/3 minutes. It makes you feel worse though.

xXxkorixXx · 13-12-2014 2:57am

My husband worked 21hrs one day

h2005 · 13-12-2014 2:58am

Frosty McSnowballs wrote: »

A nod was just closing my eyes for 2/3 minutes at a time not sleeping for 2/3 minutes. It makes you feel worse though.

What were the circumstances for this event?

Kevin McCloud · 13-12-2014 2:58am

petrolcan wrote: »

Longest I've done is 140(ish) hours straight. I did get to sleep for a few hours at night though. Couldn't do it now as the OH would be mightily pissed.

That is not a work shift though since you left work and got sleep.

Littlekittylou · 13-12-2014 3:11am

beks101 wrote: »

I started work at 7.30am Friday morning.
I've been on-shift for 18 hours.
That's 18 hours with no lunch break, one coffee break where I got pulled back to my desk because of another work crisis, and two toilet breaks.
I need sugar, alcohol, sleep and to punch a wall very hard.

What's the longest shift you've ever worked and why?

ETA: I did get free hula hoops though. BBQ beef flavour. I ate three packets.

I once worked on Christmas eve from 5.00 in the morning until 10 o'clock in the evening. I worked in a hairdressers at reception. Awful worst day of the year. No lunch no nothing too busy.

20 hours straight on a complicated web site rollout with just one other person. I killed her.

braddun · 13-12-2014 4:39am

I work 16 hour days
7 days a week

The Backwards Man · 13-12-2014 4:52am

I used to run a bar and nightclub, started at 8am until 5ish seven days a week, back at 7 until 2am Tue-Thur, 7 until 4am Fri-Sun, 11pm-2am Monday (my day off!) Did that for three years straight until I disappeared on the tear for a fortnight one January.

Littlekittylou · 13-12-2014 5:22am

braddun wrote: »

I work 16 hour days
7 days a week

Get some sleep!

pappyodaniel · 13-12-2014 5:26am

There's a lot of this going on in this thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo

Littlekittylou · 13-12-2014 5:28am

pappyodaniel wrote: »

There's a lot of this going on in this thread.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo

I know I haven't worked really long shifts regularly generally the ones I mentioned were not par of the course they would have been before a big project or something unusual.

I know certain jobs are known for it but some people are exaggerating. Not all of course! But some!

TheFarrier · 13-12-2014 5:42am

Done 41 hours in a tractor drawing silage the summer before last, the weather was supposed to break so the boss had all hands on deck for days. Was dangerous near the end, I fell asleep in the yard waiting for the loader to come down off the pit. No amount of roaring down the two way radio or bouncing the loader off the trailer would wake me.

Done an 18 hour day shoeing horses during my apprenticeship, my boss was going on holiday, and we had to try put a weeks work into two days. Under the first horse at 6am, out from under the last one at five to midnight. Was fair sore getting into bed that night I tell ye

Jawgap · 13-12-2014 6:11am

Back in the day I worked in hospitality in a couple of the larger hotels near Lansdowne Road.

On rugby weekends you'd work about 80 hours over 4 days........and on Sunday afternoon / evening go on the pi$$! Oh, to be that young again

Icemancometh · 13-12-2014 9:18am

pappyodaniel wrote: »

There's a lot of this going on in this thread.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo

I feel like this sometimes, cause the new interns only work 24 hour shifts. In some places, only 12 hours at a time! And they get cup o' hot gravel and all.

dundalkfc10 · 13-12-2014 9:20am

When on holidays, stayed awake from the Tuesday morning untill early on the Friday morning! Drink and Drugs helped me through it though

seventeen sheep · 13-12-2014 9:23am

In my old job, 14/15 hour days were the norm ... also you were fully expected to work at the weekends ... in theory, time in lieu was given for overtime; however all jobs were on a strict budget. So we were only allowed record a fraction of the overtime worked.

I don't miss that place!

Sir Osis of Liver. · 13-12-2014 9:28am

xXxkorixXx wrote: »

My husband worked 21hrs one day

One day I worked 25 hours.

TheBeardedLady · 13-12-2014 9:53am

Never did any mad working like that. Would do the odd double shift as a waitress when I was a student. Can't imagine. I'm a horrible human being when I'm sleep deprived and I feel extremely sorry for myself.

Beks would you not bring a little packed lunch with you just in case?

13-12-2014 10:14am

16 hours days regularly enough when writing my thesis and in work an odd time. I'd have taken plenty of breakes in that though at least 2 hours. 16 hours is actually the longest I could work where I work as the building is only open for that long.

Some of the claims being made here aren't possible.

corner of hells · 13-12-2014 10:27am

Elisabeth Moldy Balloon wrote: »

16 hours days regularly enough when writing my thesis and in work an odd time. I'd have taken plenty of breakes in that though at least 2 hours. 16 hours is actually the longest I could work where I work as the building is only open for that long.

Some of the claims being made here aren't possible.

They are possible if you include spoofing as your employment.

sam34 · 13-12-2014 10:50am

As a medical intern I regularly did 57/58 hour shifts... It was madness, and dangerous. Wouldn't be allowed happen now.

cloud493 · 13-12-2014 10:55am

Last christmas we were so busy on the 22nd to the 23rd december, and the higher ups so stingy on hiring new people, that I did from 6am on the 22nd to 11pm on the 23rd.