HSE International ISSUE 105 | Page 11

See more at: www.hseinternational.co.uk/perenco-confirm-death-north-sea-worker/ Marco Hafner, a research leader at RAND Europe and the report’s main author, says: “Our study shows that the effects from a lack of sleep are massive. Sleep deprivation not only influences an individual’s health and wellbeing but has a significant impact on a nation’s economy, with lower productivity levels and a higher mortality risk among workers. “Improving individual sleep habits and duration has huge implications, with our research showing that simple changes can make a big difference. For example, if those who sleep under six hours a night increase their sleep to between six and seven hours a night, this could add £24 billion to the UK economy.” The US has the biggest financial losses (up to $411 billion) and most working days lost (1.2 million) due to sleep deprivation among its workforce. This was closely followed by Japan (up to $138 billion, with around 600,000 working days being lost overall). Germany (up to $60 billion, with just over 200,000 working days being lost) and the UK (up to $50 billion, with just over 200,000 working days lost) have similar losses. Canada was the nation with the best sleep outcomes, but still has significant financial and productivity losses ($21.4 billion, with around 80,000 working days being lost overall). When looking at GDP, Japan has the largest loss (2.92 per cent) due to sleep deprivation among its workforce, followed by the US (2.28 per cent) and the UK (1.86 per cent). Canada and Germany have the smallest GDP loss due to worker sleep deprivation (1.35 per cent and 1.56 per cent, respectively). View the RAND report in full at: www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1791.html or see more at: www.hseinternational.co.uk/lack-sleep-costing-uk-economy-40-billion-year/ HSE INTERNATIONAL 11