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Abstract
To analyse the impact of overtime and extended working hours on the risk of occupational
injuries and illnesses among a nationally representative sample of working adults
from the United States.
Responses from 10,793 Americans participating in the National Longitudinal Survey
of Youth (NLSY) were used to evaluate workers' job histories, work schedules, and
occurrence of occupational injury and illness between 1987 and 2000. A total of 110,236
job records were analysed, encompassing 89,729 person-years of accumulated working
time. Aggregated incidence rates in each of five exposure categories were calculated
for each NLSY survey period. Multivariate analytical techniques were used to estimate
the relative risk of long working hours per day, extended hours per week, long commute
times, and overtime schedules on reporting a work related injury or illness, after
adjusting for age, gender, occupation, industry, and region.
After adjusting for those factors, working in jobs with overtime schedules was associated
with a 61% higher injury hazard rate compared to jobs without overtime. Working at
least 12 hours per day was associated with a 37% increased hazard rate and working
at least 60 hours per week was associated with a 23% increased hazard rate. A strong
dose-response effect was observed, with the injury rate (per 100 accumulated worker-years
in a particular schedule) increasing in correspondence to the number of hours per
day (or per week) in the workers' customary schedule.
Results suggest that job schedules with long working hours are not more risky merely
because they are concentrated in inherently hazardous industries or occupations, or
because people working long hours spend more total time "at risk" for a work injury.
Strategies to prevent work injuries should consider changes in scheduling practices,
job redesign, and health protection programmes for people working in jobs involving
overtime and extended hours.