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the deadly impact of working long hours

around 745,000 people died in 2016 as a result of working at least 55 hours a week — a 29 per cent increase from 2000.

by dave yasvinski

may 17 2021
read time 2 minute read
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burning the candle at both ends is ending hundreds of thousands of lives annually and putting countless others at increased risk of stroke and ischemic heart disease, according to a joint report from the world health organization (who) and the international labour organization (ilo).

the global study, published in environment international , estimates that 745,000 people died in 2016 as a result of working at least 55 hours a week — a 29 per cent increase from 2000. men bore the brunt of the burden, the report said, accounting for 72 per cent of the 398,000 people who died from stroke and the 347,000 who succumbed to heart disease, an increase of 42 and 19 per cent, respectively, over the 16-year period.

“working 55 hours or more per week is a serious health hazard,” said maria neira , director of the department of environment, climate change and health at who. “it’s time that we all, governments, employers and employees, wake up to the fact that long working hours can lead to premature death.”

the report, which analyzed the results of 59 studies on heart disease and stroke and survey data from 154 countries, concluded that working 55 or more hours a week carries an increased risk of stroke (35 per cent) and ischemic heart disease (17 per cent) compared to a typical 35 to 40 week. the weight of work-related disease was particularly felt among people in the western pacific and southeast asia regions with most deaths occurring among people aged 60 to 79 years old who had worked 55 hours a week or more between the ages of 45 and 74. this extended schedule now accounts for “about one-third of the total estimated work-related burden of disease … it is the risk factor with the largest occupational disease burden,” the report said.

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with nine per cent of the world’s population currently working long hours, hundreds of thousands of people will face increasing health risks in the coming years without intervention.
“the covid-19 pandemic has significantly changed the way many people work,” said tedros adhanom ghebreyesus, the director-general of who. “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.”
to address the rising risks, the who and the ilo recommend that governments introduce and enforce laws and policies that ban mandatory overtime and cap the number of hours employees can work in a given week. they also call for more flexibility in bargaining agreements to allow employees to share working hours so fewer people are required to reach or surpass the 55-hour mark.
“no job is worth the risk of stroke or heart disease,” ghebreyesus said. “governments, employers and workers need to work together to agree on limits to protect the health of workers.”

dave yasvinski is a writer with  healthing.ca

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