A Thai man who worked for a media network and was 44 years old, died at his desk. He worked overtime, often seven days a week. This isn’t the only instance. Overworking can be fatal, and in a year, 7,45,000 people died as a result.
Working hard is frequently confused with overworking. They are distinct. The first is harmful to your health to the point where it could kill you.
A media organization in Thailand is under investigation by the labor ministry after an employee died. What caused him to die? It is said that he was overworked.
On Monday, 44-year-old Sarawut Srisawat collapsed at his desk at the Thai News Network (TNN) office in Bangkok after suffering a heart attack. The senior manager in charge of program schedules regularly worked overtime, often seven days a week, according to reports in the local media. He also had underlying conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes.
Because there was no one in the organization who could take his place, Srisawat was compelled to work without leave. According to a report in the Independent, he was recently asked to finish the work when he was on sick leave.
A social media post about the Srisawat went viral, and people demanded that the news organization take action. Thailand’s labor minister, Suchart Chomklin, has ordered an investigation because it is believed that Srisawat’s heart attack and subsequent death were caused by stress and overworking.
Thailand’s laws have strict labor codes that limit hours worked. It is expected of employees to work no more than 48 hours per week. The law stipulates that an employee should not work more than 36 hours per week in overtime.
It is anticipated that the investigation will investigate whether Srisawat was required to work overtime and whether he was granted sick leave. His family will receive a pension from Thailand’s Social Security Office and 70% of his salary for a decade if the news organization is found guilty.
However, nothing can replace the loss of a life.
Overwork caused the deaths of 7,45,000 people in a single year, including Srisawat. In a time when nine-hour workdays have almost disappeared, overworking is a major health risk.
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that working long hours annually results in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. 488 million people faced the dangers of working long hours in 2016. A global study that was published in March 2021 in the journal Environment International pointed out that overwork-related illnesses like stroke and heart disease were responsible for the deaths of more than 7,45,000 people that year.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “the number of deaths from heart disease due to working long hours increased by 42% between 2000 and 2016 and from stroke by 19%.”
