A United Nations (UN) study found that people who worked 55 hours or more a week were at high risk of having a stroke or heart disease.
According to Agence France-Presse, this is stated in the report of the World Health Organization and International Labor Organization agencies of the UN.
The study was conducted concerning possible system changes in the workplaces due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well.
The WHO-ILO study published in the journal Environment International is the first global analysis about the risk to life and health of long working hours.
The study did not focus on the pandemic period, if not in the coming seasons. The authors of the study compiled the data obtained with the participation of hundreds of thousands of participants.
“Working 55 hours or more per week is a serious health hazard,” said Maria Neira, director of the WHO’s environment, climate change, and health department.
“It’s time that we all—governments, employers, and employees—wake up to the fact that long working hours can lead to premature death,” she added.
Working 55 hours a week dangerous to health and life: study
The study showed that compared to those who worked 35 to 40 hours in a week, those who worked 55 hours or more in a week had a 35-percent higher risk of stroke and a 17-percent higher chance of dying from ischemic heart disease.
The WHO and ILO estimate that in 2016, 398,000 people who worked 55 hours a week died of stroke and 347,000 from heart disease.
Between 2000 and 2016, deaths from heart disease associated with long working hours rose 42 percent, while those who had strokes rose by 19 percent.
Most of the dead were aged 60 to 79, who allegedly worked 55 hours or more a week when they were 45 to 74.
“With working long hours now known to be responsible for about one-third of the total estimated work-related burden of disease, it is established as the risk factor with the largest occupational disease burden,” said WHO.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said that the COVID-19 pandemic has also significantly impacted people’s employment today.
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