1.9 million people die every year because of poor working conditions. Above all, overwork is a particularly large and increasing risk factor.
Geneva – According to a UN study, poor working conditions cost 1.9 million lives every year.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), strokes and heart disease are the main causes of the premature death of around 1.2 million men and women.
Work accidents caused around 360,000 deaths. The study presented was carried out by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labor Organization (ILO). The evaluated figures relate to the year 2016.
As the WHO reported in May, overwork is a particularly large and increasing risk factor. Too many hours worked were linked to around 750,000 deaths, according to the UN study. The experts warned that the corona crisis could worsen the situation. According to the experts, air pollution such as fine dust, gases and vapors were responsible for 450,000 deaths.
Workers in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific, men and people over 54 years of age were disproportionately affected by work-related deaths. “It is shocking that so many people are literally being killed by their profession,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
However, the WHO also reported a positive trend: Worldwide, work-related deaths in relation to the population fell by 14 percent between 2000 and 2016. This could be attributed to improvements in occupational health and safety. dpa
