Overtime Kills Hundreds of Thousands a Year: WHO Study

On Monday, May 17, World Health Organization officials said overtime is killing hundreds of thousands of people a year, leading to a worsening trend that could be further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Reuters.

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In the first global research on deaths associated with longer work hours, an article in Environment International showed that in 2016, 745 people died from stroke and heart disease associated with overtime work.

This is almost 30% more than in 2000.

“Working 55 or more hours a week is a serious health risk,” said Maria Neira, director of the WHO Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health.

“What we want to do with this information is encourage greater action, greater protection for workers,” she said.

A joint study by WHO and the International Labor Organization found that the majority of victims (72%) were middle-aged and older men. Death often occurred much later, sometimes decades after people had worked overtime.

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The data also showed that the hardest hit were people living in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific region, a WHO-defined region that includes China, Japan and Australia.

Overall, a study based on data from 194 countries found that working 55 hours or more per week was associated with a 35% increased risk of stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from coronary heart disease, compared with 35-40 hours of work. weeks.

The study covered the period 2000-2016 and did not include the COVID-19 pandemic, but WHO officials said the rise in teleworking and the global economic slowdown as a result of the coronavirus emergency may have increased the risks.

“The pandemic is accelerating developments that may contribute to the trend toward longer working hours,” the WHO said, estimating that at least 9% of people work long hours.

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WHO staff, including its chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, say they worked hard during the pandemic, and Neira said the UN agency will seek to improve its policies in light of the study.

According to WHO technical specialist Frank Peg, limiting working hours would be beneficial for employers as it has been shown to increase productivity.

“It’s a really smart choice not to increase working hours in an economic crisis,” he said.

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