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ILO Report Links Workplace Psychosocial Risks to Over 840,000 Annual Deaths Worldwide
A new report from the International Labour Organization estimates that more than 840,000 people die each year from health conditions associated with psychosocial risks at work. The report identifies factors such as job strain, long working hours, and bullying as contributors to cardiovascular disease and mental disorders. It calls for improved occupational safety measures to address these issues.
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The report examines factors including job strain, effort-reward imbalance, job insecurity, long working hours, and workplace bullying. These elements are associated with cardiovascular disease and mental disorders, according to the findings. The report estimates that work-related psychosocial risk factors contribute to 840,088 deaths worldwide each year and nearly 45 million disability-adjusted life years.
Cardiovascular conditions account for 783,694 of these deaths, primarily from ischemic heart disease and stroke, while mental disorders are linked to 56,394 deaths. Mental disorders, however, represent a larger share of healthy life years lost due to their chronic nature.
Long working hours are identified as a significant factor, with 35% of workers globally working more than 48 hours per week. In 2019, 47% of workers in Asia and the Pacific exceeded this threshold, compared to the global average. Long hours were more prevalent in informal employment, affecting 41% of such workers versus 28% in formal roles.
Sectors like wholesale and retail trade, transport and communications, and manufacturing reported higher burdens from extended hours. Previous estimates attributed approximately 745,000 deaths annually to long working hours, mainly through heart disease and stroke.
Psychological violence was the most common, reported by 18% of workers, followed by physical violence at 9% and sexual violence or harassment at 6%. Women reported higher exposure to sexual violence and harassment than men. It advocates for policies on work design, better national data, clearer regulations, stronger enforcement, and workplace changes such as reviewing workloads and providing mechanisms for raising concerns.
