Working long hours causes injury and illness
by brian_turner
A study by the University of Massachusetts found that working long hours greatly increases the risk of injury or illness.
Workers who did overtime were 61% more likely to fall ill or suffer injury, once factors such as age and gender were taken into account. Working over 12 hours a day increased the risk by over a third, while a 60-hour week increased the risk by 23%.
The study looked at US records from 110,236 employment periods between 1987 and 2000. An employment period relates to the time a person spent at one firm. Counting this way meant some individuals might have featured in the research more than once.
According to report co-author Allard Dembe, the risk was not necessarily associated with how hazardous the job was. The findings suggested that long working hours indirectly contribute to workplace accidents through factors such as inducing fatigue or stress in affected workers.
The findings, which are published in the Occupational and Environmental Health journal, supported the 48-hour European Working Time Directive and other initiatives to reduce the number of working hours.
The study identified 5,139 work-related injuries and illnesses, over half of which occurred in jobs with extended working hours or overtime.
The researchers concluded that the more hours worked, the greater the risk of injury.
In the UK 14% of the working population, or 3.6 million people, work longer than 48 hours a week.
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[...] Again, another important pointer I’ve covered before – set lists, targets, and goals – ensure you meet them on a monthly, weekly, and daily basis. One thing I like about clients is that they force you into this mindset, but you need to be able to work in a disciplined manner without them. Remember that working too long hours causes stress and even injury. [...]