WHO study links to working longer hours to increased deaths
WHO estimates that 398,000 people died from stroke and 347,000 from heart disease in 2016 as a result of working at least 55 hours a week.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that long work hours led to 745,000 deaths in 2016, a 29% increase since 2000.
Related: 3 key factors contribute to rising mortality among U.S. workers
In a study published in Environment International, researchers with WHO and the International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that 398,000 people died from stroke and 347,000 from heart disease in 2016 as a result of having worked at least 55 hours a week. The report also found that globally, 9% of workers work 55 hours a week or more, and that the number of such workers was rising. “This trend puts even more people at risk of work-related disability and early death,” WHO officials said in a statement.
Overwork = greater risk to health
The study revealed several significant statistics:
- 72% of deaths occurred among males.
- The region that saw the most deaths linked to overwork was in the Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions.
- Deaths from overwork happened more to middle-aged and older workers.
- Between 2000 and 2016, worldwide deaths from ischemic heart disease and stroke increased by 41.5% and 19.0%, respectively.
In the report, researchers noted that long work hours have been considered an occupational health risk since the first international labor standards were published in 1919. Today, the international standard is 8 hours of work per day; many nations define standard working hours as being between 35 and 40 hours per week.
The study concluded that working long hours is responsible for about one-third of the total estimated work-related burden of disease and is the risk factor with the largest occupational disease burden.
“Working 55 or more hours per week is associated with an estimated 35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, compared to working 35-40 hours a week,” the WHO statement said.
Blurring the lines between work and home life
The report noted that this finding comes at a time when an increasing number of workers are working from home, and studies have suggested that such arrangements make it more likely that employees will work more than 40 hours a week. The inability to “clock out” when working from home is raising concerns in the U.S., as employers seek to address stress and burnout among workers.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the way many people work,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD., WHO Director-General. “Teleworking has become the norm in many industries, often blurring the boundaries between home and work. In addition, many businesses have been forced to scale back or shut down operations to save money, and people who are still on the payroll end up working longer hours. No job is worth the risk of stroke or heart disease. Governments, employers and workers need to work together to agree on limits to protect the health of workers.”
WHO and ILO officials called on stakeholders to take steps to reduce health risks associated with overwork. Their recommendations included:
- Governments can introduce, implement, and enforce laws, regulations, and policies that ban mandatory overtime and ensure maximum limits on working time.
- Bipartite or collective bargaining agreements between employers and workers’ associations can arrange working time to be more flexible, while at the same time agreeing on a maximum number of working hours.
- Employees could share working hours to ensure that numbers of hours worked do not climb above 55 or more per week.
“Working 55 hours or more per week is a serious health hazard,” said Maria Neira, MD, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, at the World Health Organization. “It’s time that we all, governments, employers, and employees wake up to the fact that long working hours can lead to premature death.”
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