WHO report shows 745,000 people died due to long working hours

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Working for more than 55 hours a week or eleven hours a day for five days is leading to death, according to a global report published by the World Health Organisation.

Figures from the report of a study conducted between 2000-2016 show working 55 or more hours in a week is associated with an estimated 35 per cent risk of a stroke and a 17 per cent risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, compared to working 35-40 hours a week.

For instance, in 2016, 398,000 people died from a stroke while 347,000 died from heart diseases associated with working for long hours, according to the study which used data from 194 countries.

Dr Maria Neira, the Director of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, at the World Health Organization says that employees need to wake up and ask for more reasonable working hours because working too much has been shown to lead to premature deaths. “…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 said.

The study which was carried out in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation showed that the practice of working long hours is on the increase. Globally the number of people working long hours today is 9 per cent of the world, a scenario expected to increase with the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General says that with estimates showing that long working hours are on the increase, governments need to come up with laws and policies to determine how long people should work.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the way many people work,“ said Dr Tedros adding that teleworking has become the norm in many industries, often blurring the boundaries between home and work. He says that as businesses are forced to scale back or shut down operations to save money, 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.”

In Uganda, the standard working hours in Uganda are eight, according to the 2006 employment act, and in the case where people work for more hours, they are entitled to overtime payment, which, however, is sometimes not considered a right by several employers. 

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