Study ties increased health risks to OT, long work hours

Overtime and long working hours raise the risk of illness and injury, irrespective of how hazardous a job is, according to a study published in the September issue of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Employees who work overtime were 61 percent more likely to sustain work-related injury or illness than those who didn't, said Allard Dembe, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Shrewsbury, Mass. Previous studies had established a link between extended working hours and an increased risk for certain occupations, industries or companies. Dembe, who for the first time adjusted results for age, gender, type of industry and job, found that overtime is worse than working longer hours. "Long working hours, and in particular overtime, induce fatigue or stress, which may lead to injury and illness," Dembe said in an interview. "There may also be the workers' perception that overtime is something that's more than what one should be doing, something that makes you deviate from normal hours." The increased risk wasn't merely a result of demanding work schedules being concentrated in inherently riskier industries or jobs, Dembe said. This contradicts common belief that people who work longer have more dangerous jobs or that those who have dangerous jobs work longer hours. There were 5,139 work-related injuries and illnesses in the 110,236 U.S. job records Dembe analyzed. More than half of these were in jobs with extended working hours or overtime. Meanwhile, working longer hours, such as at least 12 hours a day, was associated with a 37 percent increase in illness or injury, while working at least 60 hours a week was associated with a 23 percent increase. Long commuting had no effect on the rate of injuries or illness, the researcher found. Dembe analyzed the responses of almost 11,000 Americans to the annual National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. The survey included questions about employment history, work schedules, and sick leave, covering the period between 1987 and 2000. Previous studies had linked extended working hours to heart disease, fatigue, stress, depression, musculoskeletal disorders, chronic infections, diabetes, general health complaints and death. The most frequent injuries and illnesses in Dembe's study were musculoskeletal conditions, which accounted for 35 percent, followed by cuts and bruises, with 25 percent. The results would be comparable in Western Europe and in Asia, Dembe said. He said he supports initiatives in the European Union to regulate working hours. U.S. lawmakers should examine the impact of proposed changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act, which sets working hours for about 74 million workers in the U.S., on the injury risks associated with overtime work, Dembe said.