‘Toxic workplaces take lives of 8.4 lakh people annually’, Pg12

Key Highlights:

• An ILO report released on Wednesday in Geneva states that over 840,000 people die annually due to health conditions linked to psychosocial risks.
• These risks include long working hours, job insecurity, and workplace harassment.
• The conditions are mainly associated with cardiovascular diseases and mental disorders, including suicide.
• Globally, 35% of workers work more than 48 hours per week.
• An estimated 23% of workers have experienced violence or harassment, with psychological violence being the most prevalent at 18%.

Detailed Insights:

• The ILO report highlights that work-related psychosocial risks pose a significant threat to workers' health, organizational productivity, and economic performance.
• These risks lead to nearly 45 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost each year.
• The combined impact of cardiovascular disease and mental disorders associated with psychosocial risk factors is estimated to result in 1.37% of global GDP lost annually.
• The report prescribes policy interventions at both government and industry levels to address the situation, along with empowering collectivization of the workforce.
• The ILO estimates the figures based on the global prevalence of five major psychosocial risk factors at work: job strain, effort-reward imbalance, job insecurity, long working hours, and workplace bullying and harassment.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Psychosocial Risks: Risks to mental, emotional, and social well-being related to work conditions.
• DALYs (Disability-Adjusted Life Years): A measure of overall disease burden, expressed as the number of years lost due to ill-health, disability or early death.
• Collectivisation of the workforce: Empowering workers to act together to improve their working conditions.