WORKING more than 55 hours a week increases the risk of death from heart disease and strokes, according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Labour Organisation (ILO) study published in Environment International in 2021.
The study shows that long working hours led to 745,000 deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease in 2016, a 29 per cent increase since 2000.
However, in a Twitter (now X) post by WHO on September 1, 2023, the organisation raised concerns over the increasing number of people working long hours, as it stated that one in every ten people worldwide works long hours.
Despite the first International Labour Organisation Hours of Work (Industry) Convention, which provides that the working hours of employed persons shall not exceed eight hours/day and 48 hours/week (with some exceptions), WHO noted that the trend of working over 55 hours a week continued to increase.
In its 2021 first global analysis of the loss of life and health associated with working long hours, the WHO and ILO estimated that in 2016, around 398,000 people lost their lives due to strokes, and an additional 347,000 died from heart disease as a result of working at least 55 hours per week.
Between 2000 and 2016, the number of deaths from heart disease linked to long working hours rose by 42 per cent, while those from stroke increased by 19 per cent.
According to the study, this work-related disease burden is particularly significant in men, with 72 per cent of deaths occurring among males and most prevalent among people living in the Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions.
Most of the deaths recorded were among people aged 60-79 years who had worked for 55 hours or more per week between the ages of 45 and 74.
“With working long hours now known to be responsible for about one-third of the estimated work-related burden of disease, it is established as the risk factor with the largest occupational disease burden. This shifts thinking towards a relatively new and more psychosocial occupational risk factor to human health,” WHO said.
Based on data from 194 countries, WHO said that working 55 hours or more a week is associated with a 35 per cent higher risk of stroke and a 17 per cent higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease than a 35-40 hour working week.
The study spanned from 2000 to 2016 and thus did not encompass the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, WHO officials suggested that the rise in remote work and the worldwide economic downturn triggered by the coronavirus crisis may have elevated the associated risks.
“Working 55 hours or more per week is a serious health hazard,” added Maria Neira, Director of the 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,” Neira added.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M