We know how most of the bad eerie scenarios and circumstances happen at night. It scares us. Most of us make the effort of staying indoors for fear of encountering one.
That’s what people with day jobs do. But how about the people who work at night, specifically the people working for the Call Center industry? Concern for them is not just about the danger of being in certain accidents (since they will be spending most of their time indoors, safely nestled in their own cubicles), it’s about protecting them from contacting nightshift-related illnesses and providing preventive measures for them to follow.
The most common long-term illnesses acquired by BPO employees working the nightshift are the following:
• Cardiovascular Disease. For decades, researchers have seen an association between working the nightshift and the risk of heart attacks and heart disease.
One research found out that night-shift work raises the risk of cardiovascular disease by 40%. In general, the risk seems to grow the longer a person continues to work nights. One analysis pointed out that the risk of a stroke increases by 5% for every five years for a person with a nightshift job.
• Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome. A number of studies have found that nightshift work seems to be a risk factor for diabetes. One Japanese study found that nightshift workers have a 50% higher incidence of diabetes than day workers.
Shift work has also been linked with metabolic syndrome, a combination of health problems like high blood pressure, high blood sugar, obesity, and unhealthy cholesterol levels. It's a serious risk factor for diabetes, heart attacks, and stroke. One 2007 study followed more than 700 healthy medical workers over four years. The incidence of metabolic syndrome three times higher in those who worked night shifts.
• Obesity. There are several possible reasons for the link between obesity and nightshift work. Poor diet and lack of exercise might be part of the problem. Hormone balance seems to be important too. The hormone leptin plays a key role in regulating our appetite; it helps make us feel full. Since nightshift work seems to lower the levels of leptin, it could be that night workers just feel hungrier—and thus eat more—than dayshift workers.
• Depression and Mood Disorders. Some studies have found that nightshift workers are more likely to suffer from symptoms of depression and other mood disorders. The social isolation of nightshift work surely takes a psychological toll. Nightshift work might also affect brain chemistry directly. One 2007 study found that when compared to day workers, night workers significantly had lower levels of serotonin, a brain chemical that plays a key role in mood.
• Serious Gastrointestinal Problems. For more than 50 years, researchers have noticed that nightshift work seems to increase the risk of peptic ulcers. It also raises the risk of general GI (gastrointestinal) symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, and constipation and possibly some types of functional bowel disease (e.g., irritable bowel syndrome). One 2008 study found evidence linking shift work with chronic heartburn or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease).
• Problems with Fertility and Pregnancy. Research has shown that shift work can affect a woman's reproductive system. Nightshift work also seems to be associated with an increased risk of complications during delivery, premature and low-weight babies, fertility problems, endometriosis, irregular periods, and painful periods.
• Cancer. There is some strong evidence—from both human and animal studies—that nightshift work poses an increased risk of cancer. In 2007, a subcommittee of the World Health Organization went as far as to state that shift work is "probably carcinogenic."
The high attrition rate due to the increasing number of nightshift-related health risks from the Philippine Call Center industry has long called the attention of the Filipino employees and the Philippine government. Because of this, administration lawmakers called for more protection for the workers of the Philippine Call Center industry.
BPO workers should be given the highest level of protection since majority of them work all night to adjust to the time of their Western-based clients, said Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño.Casiño filed House Bill 6073 which seeks to promote occupational health and safety in the BPO industry through the formulation of Occupational Health and Safety standards for BPO work.
“Underneath the short-term economic advantages of the BPO industry is a ticking time-bomb of illnesses which in the end the country will have to pay for through its social health services and ailing workforce,” Casiño stated.
The bill provides standards that will follow the existing standards of health and safety for BPO work, and that the minimum provisions in the standards meet the International Labor Organization’s recommendations. The bill also urged Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC) representatives to monitor the work environment of BPO firms.
The bill provides a mechanism for compensation for work-related injuries and illnesses and considers nightshift work as hazardous.
It’s high time that the government impose new laws on health and safety, specifically formulated for the BPO industry, since it has a different working environment.
The Philippine call center industry’s workers might have high salaries, but if no measure will be taken to monitor their health and safety, these large sums will just serve as payment for expensive hospital bills.
About the Author
Publish on 06/27/2012
is a self-employed blogger and copywriter from the Philippines who loves writing and is always happy to share her passion for blogging.
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