diff --git a/src/Core/Worker.php b/src/Core/Worker.php
index bb17e430c1..f84dd29475 100644
--- a/src/Core/Worker.php
+++ b/src/Core/Worker.php
@@ -94,101 +94,70 @@ class Worker
 
 		$last_check = $starttime = time();
 		self::$state = self::STATE_STARTUP;
-		$wait_interval = self::isDaemonMode() ? 360 : 10;
-		$start = time();
 
-		do {
-			// We fetch the next queue entry that is about to be executed
-			while ($r = self::workerProcess()) {
-				// Don't refetch when a worker fetches tasks for multiple workers
-				$refetched = DI::config()->get('system', 'worker_multiple_fetch');
-				foreach ($r as $entry) {
-					// Assure that the priority is an integer value
-					$entry['priority'] = (int)$entry['priority'];
+		// We fetch the next queue entry that is about to be executed
+		while ($r = self::workerProcess()) {
+			if (self::IPCJobsExists(getmypid())) {
+				self::IPCSetJobState(false, getmypid());
+			}
+			// Don't refetch when a worker fetches tasks for multiple workers
+			$refetched = DI::config()->get('system', 'worker_multiple_fetch');
+			foreach ($r as $entry) {
+				// Assure that the priority is an integer value
+				$entry['priority'] = (int)$entry['priority'];
 
-					// The work will be done
-					if (!self::execute($entry)) {
-						Logger::notice('Process execution failed, quitting.');
+				// The work will be done
+				if (!self::execute($entry)) {
+					Logger::notice('Process execution failed, quitting.');
+					return;
+				}
+
+				// Trying to fetch new processes - but only once when successful
+				if (!$refetched && DI::lock()->acquire(self::LOCK_PROCESS, 0)) {
+					self::findWorkerProcesses();
+					DI::lock()->release(self::LOCK_PROCESS);
+					self::$state = self::STATE_REFETCH;
+					$refetched = true;
+				} else {
+					self::$state = self::STATE_SHORT_LOOP;
+				}
+			}
+
+			// To avoid the quitting of multiple workers only one worker at a time will execute the check
+			if ((time() > $last_check + 5) && !self::getWaitingJobForPID()) {
+				self::$state = self::STATE_LONG_LOOP;
+
+				if (DI::lock()->acquire(self::LOCK_WORKER, 0)) {
+				// Count active workers and compare them with a maximum value that depends on the load
+					if (self::tooMuchWorkers()) {
+						Logger::notice('Active worker limit reached, quitting.');
+						DI::lock()->release(self::LOCK_WORKER);
 						return;
 					}
 
-					// Trying to fetch new processes - but only once when successful
-					if (!$refetched && DI::lock()->acquire(self::LOCK_PROCESS, 0)) {
-						self::findWorkerProcesses();
-						DI::lock()->release(self::LOCK_PROCESS);
-						self::$state = self::STATE_REFETCH;
-						$refetched = true;
-					} else {
-						self::$state = self::STATE_SHORT_LOOP;
-					}
-				}
-
-				// To avoid the quitting of multiple workers only one worker at a time will execute the check
-				if ((time() > $last_check + 5) && !self::getWaitingJobForPID()) {
-					self::$state = self::STATE_LONG_LOOP;
-
-					if (DI::lock()->acquire(self::LOCK_WORKER, 0)) {
-					// Count active workers and compare them with a maximum value that depends on the load
-						if (self::tooMuchWorkers()) {
-							Logger::notice('Active worker limit reached, quitting.');
-							DI::lock()->release(self::LOCK_WORKER);
-							return;
-						}
-
-						// Check free memory
-						if (DI::process()->isMinMemoryReached()) {
-							Logger::warning('Memory limit reached, quitting.');
-							DI::lock()->release(self::LOCK_WORKER);
-							return;
-						}
+					// Check free memory
+					if (DI::process()->isMinMemoryReached()) {
+						Logger::warning('Memory limit reached, quitting.');
 						DI::lock()->release(self::LOCK_WORKER);
+						return;
 					}
-					$last_check = time();
+					DI::lock()->release(self::LOCK_WORKER);
 				}
-
-				// Quit the worker once every cron interval
-				if (time() > ($starttime + (DI::config()->get('system', 'cron_interval') * 60))) {
-					Logger::info('Process lifetime reached, respawning.');
-					self::unclaimProcess();
-					if (self::isDaemonMode()) {
-						self::IPCSetJobState(true);
-					} else {
-						self::spawnWorker();
-					}
-					return;
-				}
-				$start = time();
+				$last_check = time();
 			}
 
-			$seconds = (time() - $start);
-
-			// logarithmic wait time calculation.
-			$arg = (($seconds + 1) / ($wait_interval / 9)) + 1;
-			$sleep = min(1000000, round(log10($arg) * 1000000, 0));
-			usleep($sleep);
-
-			$timeout = ($seconds >= $wait_interval);
-			Logger::info('Timeout', ['timeout' => $timeout, 'seconds' => $seconds, 'sleep' => $sleep]);
-
-			if (!$timeout) {
-				if (DI::process()->isMaxLoadReached()) {
-					Logger::notice('maximum load reached, quitting.');
-					return;
+			// Quit the worker once every cron interval
+			if (time() > ($starttime + (DI::config()->get('system', 'cron_interval') * 60))) {
+				Logger::info('Process lifetime reached, respawning.');
+				self::unclaimProcess();
+				if (self::isDaemonMode()) {
+					self::IPCSetJobState(true);
+				} else {
+					self::spawnWorker();
 				}
-
-				// Kill stale processes every 5 minutes
-				$last_cleanup = DI::config()->get('system', 'worker_last_cleaned', 0);
-				if (time() > ($last_cleanup + 300)) {
-					DI::config()->set('system', 'worker_last_cleaned', time());
-					self::killStaleWorkers();
-				}
-
-				// Check if the system is ready
-				if (!self::isReady()) {
-					return;
-				}		
+				return;
 			}
-		} while (!$timeout);
+		}
 
 		// Cleaning up. Possibly not needed, but it doesn't harm anything.
 		if (self::isDaemonMode()) {
@@ -1248,33 +1217,36 @@ class Worker
 		} elseif ($pid) {
 			// The parent process continues here
 			DBA::connect();
-			Logger::info('Spawned new worker', ['cron' => $do_cron, 'pid' => $pid]);
+			Logger::info('Spawned new worker', ['pid' => $pid]);
+			self::IPCSetJobState(true, $pid);
+
+			$cycles = 0;
+			while (self::IPCJobsExists($pid) && (++$cycles < 100)) {
+				usleep(10000);
+			}
+
+			Logger::info('Spawned worker is ready', ['pid' => $pid, 'wait_cycles' => $cycles]);
 			return;
 		}
 
 		// We now are in the new worker
 		DBA::connect();
-		Logger::info('Worker spawned', ['cron' => $do_cron, 'pid' => getmypid()]);
+		Logger::info('Worker spawned', ['pid' => getmypid()]);
 
-		DI::process()->start();
+		$cycles = 0;
+		while (!self::IPCJobsExists($pid) && (++$cycles < 100)) {
+			usleep(10000);
+		}
+
+		Logger::info('Parent is ready', ['pid' => getmypid(), 'wait_cycles' => $cycles]);
 
 		self::processQueue($do_cron);
 
 		self::unclaimProcess();
 
+		self::IPCSetJobState(false, getmypid());
 		DI::process()->end();
-		Logger::info('Worker ended', ['cron' => $do_cron, 'pid' => getmypid()]);
-
-		DBA::disconnect();
-/*
-		$php = '/usr/bin/php';
-		$param = ['bin/worker.php'];
-		if ($do_cron) {
-			$param[] = 'no_cron';
-		}
-		pcntl_exec($php, $param);
-		Logger::warning('Error calling worker', ['cron' => $do_cron, 'pid' => getmypid()]);
-*/
+		Logger::info('Worker ended', ['pid' => getmypid()]);
 		exit();
 	}
 
@@ -1287,14 +1259,16 @@ class Worker
 	 */
 	public static function spawnWorker($do_cron = false)
 	{
-		if (self::isDaemonMode()) {
+		if (self::isDaemonMode() && DI::config()->get('system', 'worker_fork')) {
 			self::forkProcess($do_cron);
-			self::IPCSetJobState(false);
 		} else {
 			$process = new Core\Process(DI::logger(), DI::mode(), DI::config(),
 				DI::modelProcess(), DI::app()->getBasePath(), getmypid());
 			$process->run('bin/worker.php', ['no_cron' => !$do_cron]);
 		}
+		if (self::isDaemonMode()) {
+			self::IPCSetJobState(false);
+		}
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -1505,10 +1479,10 @@ class Worker
 	 * @param boolean $jobs Is there a waiting job?
 	 * @throws \Exception
 	 */
-	public static function IPCSetJobState($jobs)
+	public static function IPCSetJobState(bool $jobs, int $key = 0)
 	{
 		$stamp = (float)microtime(true);
-		DBA::update('worker-ipc', ['jobs' => $jobs], ['key' => 1], true);
+		DBA::replace('worker-ipc', ['jobs' => $jobs, 'key' => $key]);
 		self::$db_duration += (microtime(true) - $stamp);
 		self::$db_duration_write += (microtime(true) - $stamp);
 	}
@@ -1519,10 +1493,10 @@ class Worker
 	 * @return bool
 	 * @throws \Exception
 	 */
-	public static function IPCJobsExists()
+	public static function IPCJobsExists(int $key = 0)
 	{
 		$stamp = (float)microtime(true);
-		$row = DBA::selectFirst('worker-ipc', ['jobs'], ['key' => 1]);
+		$row = DBA::selectFirst('worker-ipc', ['jobs'], ['key' => $key]);
 		self::$db_duration += (microtime(true) - $stamp);
 
 		// When we don't have a row, no job is running
diff --git a/static/defaults.config.php b/static/defaults.config.php
index 310d1ea08e..ed0f8f871a 100644
--- a/static/defaults.config.php
+++ b/static/defaults.config.php
@@ -538,6 +538,10 @@ return [
 		// Number of worker tasks that are fetched in a single query.
 		'worker_fetch_limit' => 1,
 
+		// worker_fork (Boolean)
+		// Experimental setting. use pcntl_fork to spawn a new worker process
+		'worker_fork' => false,
+
 		// worker_jpm (Boolean)
 		// If enabled, it prints out the jobs per minute.
 		'worker_jpm' => false,