Despite the common opinion that overtime causes industrial accidents, supportive data seem sparse, although there is some evidence that accidents increase during business upswings, and vice versa. A study comparing the overtime of injury and non-injury groups of employees in an electronics plant yielded no significant results. The correlation of plant overtime and total injuries for a steady aircraft production line also was not significant. But the correlation for another line whose production was decreasing showed a significantly decreased rate of injuries. Thus, the relationship between overtime and accidents appears to be coupled with other factors, particularly business swings.
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