A study by the World Health Organization (WHO) showed that the highest health burdens from work fatigue were found in men and workers of middle age or older.
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A study by the World Health Organization (WHO) showed that the highest health burdens from work fatigue were found in men and workers of middle age or older.
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The World Health Organization says long working hours pose a health risk in the workplace and kill hundreds of thousands each year.
People who work 55 or more hours per week are 35% more likely to have a stroke and 17% more likely to die from heart disease than people who work to the generally accepted standard of 35 to 40 hours per week according to the World Health Organization. . He says in a study published in the journal on Monday International environment.
The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. “No job deserves the risk of stroke or heart disease,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, calling on governments, companies and workers to find ways to protect workers’ health.
The global study, which the World Health Organization calls the first of its kind, found that 488 million people were exposed to long hours at work in 2016.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 745,000 people died this year due to overload, which led to stroke and heart disease.
“ Between 2000 and 2016, deaths from heart disease due to long working hours increased by 42% and from stroke increased by 19%. WHO said It also announced the study it was conducting with the International Labor Organization.
The study does not cover last year because the COVID-19 pandemic has driven economies into crisis and changed the way millions of people work. However, the authors note that congestion has been increasing for years due to phenomena such as the gig economy and telecommuting – and they say the pandemic is likely to accelerate these trends.
“Telework has become the norm in many industries, and it often blurs the lines between home and work,” Ghebreyesus said. “In addition, many companies have had to downsize or shut down to save money, and people who are still on the payroll end up working longer.”
The researchers said recessions such as those witnessed in the world last year are usually followed by increases in working hours.
The study found the highest health burdens resulting from fatigue among men and middle-aged or elderly men. Regionally, people in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific were most at risk. People in Europe were the least vulnerable.
In the United States, less than 5% of the population is exposed to long hours a map WHO published with the study. This percentage is comparable to Brazil and Canada – much lower than Mexico and countries in most Central and South America.
The study shows that several steps can help reduce pressure on workers, including government adoption and implementation of labor standards on working hours.
The authors also say that employers should be more flexible in planning and agreeing maximum hours of work with their employees. In another step, the study suggests that employees split hours so that no one works 55 hours or more per week.
To compile the report, researchers reviewed and analyzed dozens of studies on heart disease and stroke. They then estimated workers’ health risks based on data from a number of sources, including more than 2,300 working time surveys conducted in 154 countries from the 1970s to 2018.
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