Obesity leads to an unsafe workplace

US researchers have provided another reason to encourage workers to improve their health, finding that obese employees are not only more likely to die of a number of causes but also have a higher risk of accidents.The groundbreaking US study involved middle-aged workers employed at Shell Oil Refinery's manufacturing and research facilities. The workers' health data was recorded at the end of 1983 and again 20 years later.

The study, which involved more than 7000 workers, aimed to determine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the risk of death from various causes, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and accidents.

It found that obese workers (those with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or above) had a 25% increased risk of death from all causes compared to workers with normal BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2).

Obese workers had a higher risk of accidental death and the researchers said this was likely due to the established association between obesity and obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, which increased the risk among these individuals of motor vehicle accidents.

The researchers said their finding suggested that obesity could impair safety performance beyond vehicular accidents but more research in this area was needed.