◆ After enactment, the first white paper
The Death from Overwork Prevention White Paper was first announced following 2014’s Death from Overwork Countermeasure Promotion Act.
This white paper researches and studies the state of long-term labor and death from overwork conditions by industry. It records 2015’s death from overwork preventative initiatives and nongovernmental organization activities and, over its 280 pages, covers the state of and preventive measures regarding death from overwork and overwork suicide.
◆ What percentage of companies require “over 80 hours of overtime”?
According to a survey of businesses, the number of businesses responding that overtime exceeded 80 hours in a month—considered the threshold for the threat of death by overwork—for regular employees in the one month out of the year with the most overtime was 22.7%.
Looking at a breakdown by industry, the telecommunications industry had the highest percentage of affirmative responses at 44.4%, followed by “academic research and specialized/technical services” (40.5%) and “couriers and mail services” (38.4%).
Also, frequently-cited reasons for overtime included “large volume of work,” “personnel shortage,” “extreme fluctuations in business,” and “a need to respond to irregular requests from our clients.”
In a survey of employees regarding “degree of accumulated fatigue and stress conditions by length of overtime period,” many respondents judged that the longer the overtime lasted, the greater the accumulated fatigue and stress, with 36.9% of employees reporting high stress levels.
◆ A need for publicity and public awareness to understand present conditions
Chapter 3 of the white paper reported the status of the implementation of measures to prevent overwork.
The chapter reported on the implementation of posters, pamphlets & leaflets, newspaper articles, web advertisements, publicity and public awareness campaigns, the analysis of cases of acknowledged work-related injuries, and the establishment of consultation systems.
The Death from Overwork Prevention White Paper is also available to download via the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s homepage.
(http://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/0000138529.html)
