Death from overwork
As mentioned on the workersf compensation page, if a worker gets injured
or dies while the worker is on the job, workersf compensation is granted.
Compensation for absence from work is provided for the injured worker and
bereaved family compensation is provided for the family of a worker who
dies.
Workersf compensation is provided for death from overwork if sudden brain
death, heart disease, or suicide resulting from insanity brought on by prolonged
or intensely stressful work is the cause. When workersf compensation is
granted and compensation for the bereaved family is provided, the benefits
sometimes exceed tens of millions of yen.
There are many cases of foreign workers working more than 12 hours per day
to send money to their families in their home countries. If one of these
workers suddenly died from brain or heart disease or committed suicide,
it would be necessary to suspect overwork as the cause.
Criteria for approving workers' compensation
The criteria for approving workersf compensation are: a worker had been
working more than 100 extra hours during one month just before he or she
died of brain or heart disease; a worker had been working an average of
80 extra hours per month during the six months just before he or she died.
This is a rough indication, not the absolute criteria. It is not easy to
collect evidence for overtime work and to verify it. When you suspect death
from overwork or suicide induced by overwork, please do not hesitate to
contact us for consultation.