How many hours break between shifts?

A question about : How many hours break between shifts?

Hi everyone.
Just a quick question: when a shift finishes (for example an 8 hour shift), what is the legal number of hours rest that an employee is entitled to before their next 8 hours shift begins?

Many thanks.

Best answers:

• I had a look on the directgov website and it states...
  Daily rest - a break between working days
  If you are an adult worker you have the right to a break of at least 11 hours between working days. This means as an adult worker, if you finish work at 8.00 pm on Monday you should not start work until 7.00 am on Tuesday.
  I got this info from here.
• Depends what industry you work in.
  whats legal and whats acceptable are two different things.
  i know as a chef i used to finish at 11.30pm and start again at 6am.
• From what it said on that link, if there is nothing in your contract stating how long is between shifts, then it should be at least 11 hours. But if you're unsure or having problems, give ACAS a quick ring and check with them
• Google Working Time Regulations and your questions will be answered. The standard is 11 rest break, but there are acceptions in certain industries such as hospitality.
• and emergency services.
• Thank You hayley11, thats what i needed to know.
  I work in a hotel, but more and more often im being put on shifts ending at 2300 and next morning starting at 0700am, which i think is unfair treatment.
  Many thanks.
• i work in a supermarket and there is an agreement between them and the union that there is always 8hrs between shifts and it is part of the contract that we sign
• When I did shifts in a NHS hospital, we finished our late shift at 21.45hrs and commenced our early shift at 07.00am, so only 9.15hrs between shifts.
  Did the NHS opt out?
• The NHS are gradually changing shifts to keep this rule. We've changed ours to 7-15, 12-20 and 1945 - 0715.
• Does the rest period include travelling time? If you have say an hours commute to and from work then if you have the minimum 11 hours you only actually have 9 hours actual rest. Or is travelling time excluded so that you have to have 11 hours between the time you normally get home and the time you'd have to leave for the next shift? It's not very clear as it mentions later about having long travelling times but doesn't mention how long 'long' actually is!
• I'm sorry to correct people on this but there is NO restriction in the rest period between shifts.
  Currently there are restrictions on younger workers and children.
  But along with the working time regulations as in the transport industry or "mobile workforce" they are limited to 11hrs rest reducable to 9 three times per week. However you can also add into this split shifts i.e. hotels.
  The working time regulations wass trying to be forced into the UK from Europe. Now it was implemented in the transport industry as of the need for vehicles to travel through various contries. Thus making it a standard European wide regulation.
  However the rest of the UK workforce was more or less untouched.
• You have a right to a 11 hour break but it is not a uk law so yet more false advice.