Long working hours, sleep-related problems, and near-misses/injuries in industrial settings using a nationally representative sample of workers in Japan

PLoS One. 2019 Jul 15;14(7):e0219657. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219657. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

Long working hours and a lack of sleep have been suggested to negatively affect the safety of workers. Here, we examined the association between long working hours/sleep-related problems and near-misses/injuries in industrial settings using a nationally representative sample of workers in Japan. Based on the composition ratio of workers by industry, sex, and age in Japan, data from a web-based cross-sectional survey for 18,682 participant full-time workers (7,098 female and 11,584 male; mean age, 43.7 [standard deviation 11.1] years) were analyzed. Nearly 30% and 5% of participants reported any types of near-misses during the past six months and injuries during the past year, respectively. For all types of near-misses and some types of injuries, a significant difference in frequency distribution was observed by industry. After adjustment for demographic, job-, and life-related variables, participants who worked long hours (i.e., more than 51 hours per week) were more likely to report job-related near-misses/injuries than those who worked 35-40 hours per week. The presence of sleep-related problems was also significantly related to near-misses and injuries. However, while sleep-related problems were significantly associated with near-misses/injuries in all industries, the association between long working hours and near-misses/injuries differed by industry. Odds ratios for near-misses/injuries were strongly significant in the "transport/postal services" industry for those who worked more than 51 hours per week compared to those who worked 35-40 hours per week. Comprehensive protective measures for workers, including (1) reducing total hours of service/job-related fatigue, (2) maintaining sufficient sleep hours/good sleep, and (3) increasing awareness about the impact of overwork/long working hours and sleep-related problems on workers' safety among employers, workers, clients/customers, and the general public might be effective for preventing near-misses and injuries in industrial settings among workers, especially those who work long hours in the "transport/postal services" industry.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Accidents, Occupational / prevention & control*
  • Adult
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Employment
  • Fatigue
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Industry
  • Internet
  • Japan
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Occupational Health
  • Occupational Injuries / prevention & control*
  • Personnel Staffing and Scheduling
  • Regression Analysis
  • Sleep
  • Sleep Wake Disorders / epidemiology*
  • Sleep Wake Disorders / etiology
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Work Schedule Tolerance*
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Industrial Disease Clinical Research Grants from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (180901-01).