diff --git a/xen/arch/x86/io_apic.c b/xen/arch/x86/io_apic.c
index 33e5927c71..f98997870c 100644
--- a/xen/arch/x86/io_apic.c
+++ b/xen/arch/x86/io_apic.c
@@ -1485,8 +1485,7 @@ static int __init timer_irq_works(void)
 {
     unsigned long t1, flags;
 
-    t1 = pit0_ticks;
-    mb();
+    t1 = ACCESS_ONCE(pit0_ticks);
 
     local_save_flags(flags);
     local_irq_enable();
@@ -1501,8 +1500,7 @@ static int __init timer_irq_works(void)
      * might have cached one ExtINT interrupt.  Finally, at
      * least one tick may be lost due to delays.
      */
-    mb();
-    if (pit0_ticks - t1 > 4)
+    if ( (ACCESS_ONCE(pit0_ticks) - t1) > 4 )
         return 1;
 
     return 0;
diff --git a/xen/arch/x86/time.c b/xen/arch/x86/time.c
index d3b0c696e3..699dfb6604 100644
--- a/xen/arch/x86/time.c
+++ b/xen/arch/x86/time.c
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ static void timer_interrupt(int irq, void *dev_id, struct cpu_user_regs *regs)
         return;
 
     /* Only for start-of-day interruopt tests in io_apic.c. */
-    (*(volatile unsigned long *)&pit0_ticks)++;
+    pit0_ticks++;
 
     /* Rough hack to allow accurate timers to sort-of-work with no APIC. */
     if ( !cpu_has_apic )
diff --git a/xen/include/xen/lib.h b/xen/include/xen/lib.h
index d1171b774b..1976e4be8d 100644
--- a/xen/include/xen/lib.h
+++ b/xen/include/xen/lib.h
@@ -56,6 +56,8 @@
 
 #define ARRAY_SIZE(x) (sizeof(x) / sizeof((x)[0]) + __must_be_array(x))
 
+#define ACCESS_ONCE(x) (*(volatile typeof(x) *)&(x))
+
 #define MASK_EXTR(v, m) (((v) & (m)) / ((m) & -(m)))
 #define MASK_INSR(v, m) (((v) * ((m) & -(m))) & (m))