How many extra hours must you work before a heart attack is covered under workers comp?
The answer: An extra 20 hours per week for two months. A standard 60-hour workweek for eight weeks, according to authorities in Japan.
The overworked nation's labor bureau made the ruling on the subject in the case of a Toyota engineer who was working on developing the hybrid version of the Toyota Camry. He died of a heart attack at age 45.
See the story here.
Sadly, at first I thought that was low. A lot of people here in the states put in a fairly standard 10-hour workday, then spend the evening fielding a phone call, or five, and sending out a flurry of e-mails before bed. That adds another hour or more to the actual work day.
Just throw in a stop at the office to "tie up loose ends" on a Saturday morning and you get to 60 hours pretty quickly.
Is this court ruling across the Pacific a warning or an overreaction. I'm interested to hear everyone's take.
