Safety

Longer work hours equate to greater injury risk

OSHA Healthcare Connection, August 23, 2005

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No matter what job you work at, your risk of a work-related injury or illness increases when you exceed the eight-hour work day or the 40-hour work week, according to a study by the University of Massachusetts Medical School, published in the September Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

The study analyzed 5,100 work-related injuries and illnesses between 1987-2000. After adjusting for job-specific factors, it found that employees who worked overtime were 61% more likely to suffer a work-related illness or injury than those who didn't work overtime.

Nearly one-third of U.S. overtime work hours is compulsory, estimates the Department of Labor.



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