How Better Lighting Helped Hazeldenes Shift Workers Sleep Longer and Feel More Alert
Shift work is tough on the body. Unnatural hours, high stress, and constant fatigue can take a toll on employees’ health, wellbeing, and productivity. At Hazeldenes Chicken Farm, management recognised these challenges and partnered with MelaGen to explore whether a change in lighting could make a difference for their workforce.
Why Lighting Matters for Shift Workers
Light is one of the most powerful tools for regulating our circadian rhythm — the body’s internal clock that governs when we feel awake and when we need rest. Poor or poorly timed lighting can disrupt this rhythm, leading to increased sleepiness, reduced concentration, and shorter, lower-quality sleep. For shift workers who already operate against natural sleep-wake cycles, these effects can be even more severe.
MelaGen lighting is designed to tackle this challenge. By using full spectrum, blue-enriched light during active hours, MelaGen helps employees feel more alert, while also supporting healthy circadian rhythms that promote better sleep at night.
The Hazeldenes Lighting Intervention
Hazeldenes introduced MelaGen lighting into the spin chiller room within their primary processing building — an area where shift workers faced high levels of stress and needed frequent breaks. Fluorescent fixtures were replaced with MelaGen solutions developed in collaboration with Alertness CRC and Monash University researchers.
Over six weeks, with MelaGen lighting installed for four of those weeks, 12 employees participated in the trial. While COVID-related absences limited the sample size, the results provided valuable insights into how lighting interventions can impact worker wellbeing.
The Results: Longer Sleep, Less Fatigue
The preliminary findings were promising:
Reduced sleepiness was reported across all employees.
80% of workers experienced an increase in sleep duration.
On average, participants gained an extra 30 minutes of sleep per night.
Improvements were especially noticeable during early morning and day shifts, suggesting broad potential benefits for the wider workforce.
A Light-Driven Path to Better Wellbeing
The Hazeldenes case study demonstrates how science-based lighting can have a tangible impact on shift workers’ wellbeing. By aligning light exposure with the body’s natural rhythms, MelaGen not only boosted alertness during shifts but also improved sleep quality after work.
For industries reliant on shift work, from food processing to healthcare, these findings highlight the importance of looking beyond traditional lighting solutions. The right light, delivered at the right time, can support healthier, more productive, and more resilient workforces.
