This meta-analysis evaluated whether extended working hours is associated with work injury (either during or after work).
22 studies were included. This study didn’t find significant evidence for all of the expected links found in other studies (e.g. weak or no association between working overtime on incidents), and this is likely a result of their assessment of the methodological weaknesses and bias of the studies.
Hence, they show that much of the research in this review was methodologically weak, and therefore, they couldn’t establish statistical links.
Key findings:
· “Our analyses indicated an association between working >12 hours/day [relative risk (RR) 1.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11–1.40] or working >55 hours/week (RR 1.24, 95% I 0.98–1.57), and elevated risk of incidents”
· “We observed weak or no significant increase of risk associated with >8 work hours/day, or working overtime, when compared to ≤8 work hours/day or no overtime”
· “we found weak or no significant increase of risk associated with working 41–48 or 49–54 compared to 35–40 hours/week”
· “Three previous reviews support the notion that incident risk rise exponentially beyond the 9th hour on task, and increased substantially for shifts >12 hours (13–15). Our analyses corroborate that shifts >12 hours may increase incident risk but do not confirm the assumption of higher risk after the 8th or 9th working hour”
· “our analyses did not support an association between working overtime and increased incidence risk”
· “our analyses supported an association between working >20–24 hours/day and increased incident risk”
· “our analyses did not support an association between working 41–48 hours/week and increased incidence risk, when compared to 35–40 hours/week”
· “our analyses did not support an association between working 49–54 hours/week and increased incidence risk, when compared to 35–40 hours/week”
· “our analyses supported an association between working >55 hours/week and increased incidence risk”
Ref: Matre, D., Skogstad, M., Sterud, T., Nordby, K. C., Knardahl, S., Christensen, J. O., & Lie, J. A. S. (2021). Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health, 47(6), 415.
Study link: https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3958
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