Geneva:
Working extended hours is killing hundreds of thousands of individuals a year in a worsening trend that might accelerate additional due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization mentioned on Monday.
In the 1st worldwide study of the loss of life connected with longer working hours, the paper in the journal Environment International showed that 745,000 individuals died from stroke and heart illness connected with extended working hours in 2016.
That was an boost of almost 30% from 2000.
“Working 55 hours or more per week is a serious health hazard,” mentioned Maria Neira, director of the WHO’s Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health.
“What we want to do with this information is promote more action, more protection of workers,” she mentioned.
The joint study, made by the WHO and the International Labour Organization, showed that most victims (72%) have been guys and have been middle-aged or older. Often, the deaths occurred significantly later in life, in some cases decades later, than the shifts worked.
It also showed that individuals living in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific area — a WHO-defined area which involves China, Japan and Australia — have been the most impacted.
Overall, the study – drawing on information from 194 nations – mentioned that working 55 hours or more a week is connected with a 35% greater danger of stroke and a 17% greater danger of dying from ischemic heart illness compared with a 35-40 hour working week.
The study covered the period 2000-2016, and so did not include things like the COVID-19 pandemic, but WHO officials mentioned the surge in remote working and the worldwide financial slowdown resulting from the coronavirus emergency might have elevated the dangers.
“The pandemic is accelerating developments that could feed the trend towards increased working time,” the WHO mentioned, estimating that at least 9% of individuals work extended hours.
WHO employees, like its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, say they have been working extended hours through the pandemic and Neira mentioned the U.N. agency would seek to enhance its policy in light of the study.
Capping hours would be advantageous for employers given that that has been shown to boost worker productivity, WHO technical officer Frank Pega mentioned.
“It’s really a smart choice not to increase long working hours in an economic crisis.”
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