Hundreds of thousands of people die every year as a result of working long hours, according to a large-scale study by the World Health Organization (WHO). More worryingly, the trend appears to be worsening and may even accelerate in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Long working hours are deadly, and in chilling proportions, according to the WHO study, conducted in collaboration with the International Labor Organization (ILO) and published in the journal Environment International. In 2016 alone, 745,000 people died from a stroke or hartaandoening that was related to too long working hours. That is an increase of almost 30 percent from 2000.
“ Working 55 hours a week is a huge health risk, ” said Maria Neira, director of the Environment, Climate Change and Health Department. WHO. “ What we want to do with this information is promote more action and better worker protection, ” she added, quoted by Reuters.
Sometimes years later
The study found that a work week of 55 hours or more increased the risk of stroke by 35 percent and the risk of heart attack by 17 percent, compared to a work week of 35 to 40 hours.
According to the study, most of the victims (72 percent) were men, aged or older. The deaths often occurred years or even decades after the spanned periods.
People in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific (China, Japan, Australia, etc.) were particularly affected.
To arrive at these conclusions, the study used data from 194 countries over a period between 2000 and 2016.
‘Smart choice not to increase long working hours’
Thus, the consequences of the corona pandemic, including the rise of telecommuting or the global economic downturn, are not taken into account, which are likely to increase the risks of working too long, the WHO warns.
Still, employers would do well to limit working hours as this increases the productivity of employees. “It is a really smart choice not to increase long working hours in times of economic crisis,” concludes Frank Pega of the WHO.
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