WHO Study Finds Long Working Hours Killing Hundreds Of Thousands of People a Year

Burning that midnight oil can prove fatal, folks. Long working hours are contributing to the death of hundreds of thousands of people a year, according to a study conducted by the World Health Organisation. The study found that there has been a 29% increase in deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease since 2000. An estimated  745 000 have succumbed to the perils of long working hours in 2016. 

In the first global analysis on the dire effects of long working hours, WHO  estimated that 398 000 people died from a stroke and 347 000 from heart disease as a result of having worked at least 55 hours a week. The report alleged there is a 35% higher risk of stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from heart disease in a 55 hour work week, compared to putting in 35 to 40 hours a week.

The WHO portends that this trend will only worsen during the pandemic, which has forced millions of people to work from home and skewed the boundaries between work and home.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the way many people work,“ said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, 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.”

The joint study, produced by the WHO and the International Labour Organization,  indicated that the number of people working long hours has significantly increased during the pandemic.

The study said deaths occurred much later in life, sometimes decades later, than the shifts worked. It also showed 72% of victims were men and were middle-aged or in the older demographic.

The report - collated data from 194 countries between  2000-2016- also found that people living in South East Asia and the Western Pacific region were the most affected by long working hours.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 18, 2021 12:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).