Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-10-18

The Ministry of Labor has found a clear correlation between an employee’s number of overtime hours per month and the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Overworking is a highly contentious issue in Taiwan: there have been frequent protests from workers of different sectors against the high number of overtime hours and the removal of their holidays. There have also been fatal accidents caused by exhausted professional drivers and medical staff who couldn’t stay alert due to long hours.

Working a long number of hours also has increased health risks. The latest findings from the labor ministry shows that most employees who suffered from cardiovascular diseases have worked more than 100 overtime hours in the month leading to the disease, or more than 80 overtime hours within six months before the disease.

A doctor says that a person’s neural system stays constantly active during work. That in turn adds pressure to the heart and other organs. Prolonged pressure, the doctor says, leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.    [FULL  STORY]