CALL CENTER = CANCER : does the BPO company care?

[spydersaint]

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mao jud... lisud jud graveyard uy... =graveyard sad ka... usa na sa mga reasons nahan ko resign sa ako work karon kay cge kog kasakit... even if naa HMO, libre check-up pero ang tambal dili man so gasto gihapon...

[esprugodoys]

graveyard since i started working in the call center industry.. not a single day nka experience ko n mag day shift ko. i prefer the graveyard shift.

if ingon ana mn gani ang situation then maybe dili lng jd ka mo fit s klase s job ky cge mn ka ksakit.. wala sd cguro ka mag vitamins noh? mag vitamins lgi para himsog ang lawas. hehehe.. :mrgreen:

[Metz]

to orginal poster:

why do you always have to point out the negative side of working in call centers?
daghan man sad night shift/graveyard shift nga work nga mas grabe pa ang conditions and under compensated.
Also cancer is a very faaaar awaaayy concern. mamatay nalang mi sa gutom di pana moabot.

As for cancer actually I dont mind, at all. I will acquire cancer from genetics, food, air, water, anything we use on our body.

So tell me arent you exposed to this as well? or your so special that you work in the morning and live in a bubble?

[omad]

hmmm.. sound like your underestimating the aid of annual or quarterly medical check ups. just an example noh though dili mn gani related s night shift n trabaho. my grandmother would have had breast CANCER if not with the annual medical checkup that our whole family does. good thing s medical checkup, n prevent ang something catastrophic disease which should have taken the life of my grandmother.
so you're talking about prevention, let's check the study conducted by the researchers who came up that with this type of job (night shift) the risk of developing cancer would increase by 60% compared to those who have day jobs.

with that, isn't the best and cheapest way of preventing cancer is having a day job?

but I agree, most people would just disregard that. it doesn't even surprise me how people continue smoking even if they already know that it's been proven that smoking causes heart problems and cancer.

this is just a reminder for people who doesn't have a clue about this issue. for those who does, it's their lives. their decisions.


so you see.. makta mna nimo kng ang company wala paninagad s ilang employee. you yourself can tell if your employed already. di mn gani mo shoulder ang company with such amount for chemotheraphy pero with the annual medical checkup n inyong buhaton which is ma shoulder s company's health insurance makatabang n ug prevent ana nga sakit or unsa pa n lain sakit n pwede motapot s atong lawas. the point I'm stressing out here is this, if the research would conclude that working at night time, like what CC workers do, would lead to higher risks of developing breast and prostate cancer, would you still gamble just for the sake of "good money"? [br]Posted on: March 05, 2008, 12:09:47 PM_________________________________________________l andmark studies
__________________________________________________ _________________________________________
Night work and breast cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Megdal SP, Kroenke CH, Laden F, Pukkala E, Schernhammer ES.

The association between occupations that involve night shift work (a surrogate for exposure to light at night with subsequent melatonin suppression) and breast cancer risk is uncertain. We therefore conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies to assess the effects of night work on breast cancer risk. Data sources were MEDLINE from January 1960 to January 2005, experts in the field, bibliographies, and abstracts. Search terms included night work terms, flight personnel terms, cancer terms, and risk terms. Independent data extraction by two authors using standardised forms was performed. The method of DerSimonian and Laird was used to derive combined estimates and Egger's; and Begg and Mazumdar's tests for publication bias were conducted. Based on 13 studies, including seven studies of airline cabin crew and six studies of other night shift workers, the aggregate estimate for all studies combined was 1.48 (95% CI, 1.36-1.61), with a similar significant elevation of breast cancer risk among female airline cabin crew (standardised incidence ratio (SIR), 1.44; 95% CI, 1.26-1.65), and female night workers (relative risk (RR), 1.51; 95% CI, 1.36-1.6 separately. We found some evidence suggesting confounding due to incomplete adjustment for breast cancer risk factors, with smaller effects in the studies that more completely adjusted for reproductive history and other confounding factors. Egger's and Begg and Mazumdar's tests for publication bias showed no significant asymmetry (P>0.05). Studies on night shift work and breast cancer risk collectively show an increased breast cancer risk among women. Publication bias is unlikely to have influenced the results.

PMID: 16084719 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
source

[esprugodoys]

ok you want an answer to that question...
IF the research will CONCLUDE that there is a high risk of developing cancer would it breast/prostate, then perhaps i wouldnt have the time to gamble myself anymore since companies for sure knows what actions to take if ever that research is already CONLCUDED. of course, common sense they will stop the demand for shift works. so would there be anything left to gamble? if there is 1 thing im pretty sure of if ever by chance that happens.... i'll be transferred to a day shift. makes sense?[br]Posted on: March 05, 2008, 12:24:31 PM_________________________________________________1 thing more.. if i'll be transferred to a day shift. does'nt it show that the BPO company cares for their employees?

[dawg]

nindot sad ni da...

[omad]

to orginal poster:

why do you always have to point out the negative side of working in call centers?
daghan man sad night shift/graveyard shift nga work nga mas grabe pa ang conditions and under compensated.I don't have a personal vendetta against people who work in call centers. I came across a conversation in another thread where one poster said that "if you wanna die young, work in a call center" or to that effect. sure enough, it solicited a lot of replies so that triggered my search on "night shifts and cancer", so there goes a little bit of introduction.

this topic is not dealing with "under compensation" or "this job is better than that" or to anything related to that. this is a real and dangerous situation for call center agents who are the primary subjects of these research and studies conducted by among others, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organization Cancer Division as well as the American Cancer Society.

I think you and the rest of call center agents should look into this. its veracity and all the aspects of the study.

does that mean I am pointing to the CC's negative aspect and shoving it down your throats? no. I just want you guys to be aware that there are already studies conducted on your specific job risks. that's all.


Also cancer is a very faaaar awaaayy concern. mamatay nalang mi sa gutom di pana moabot.
As for cancer actually I dont mind, at all. I will acquire cancer from genetics, food, air, water, anything we use on our body.
denial is another form of defense mechanism, you know that right?

if you don't mind, then why bother even posting your thoughts here? just goes to show that you really do care but it's just that, you don't have any options just yet.

this thread is basically for those who don't know anything about this issue. it's for them to at least exercise their freedom to choose. nothing else.


So tell me arent you exposed to this as well? or your so special that you work in the morning and live in a bubble?
as far as the study goes "night shift workers are at high risk for cancer and heart disease", I am not exposed. but talking about the rest, we're about even. so go ahead do the math.[br]Posted on: March 05, 2008, 01:00:11 PM_________________________________________________ok you want an answer to that question...
IF the research will CONCLUDE that there is a high risk of developing cancer would it breast/prostate, then perhaps i wouldnt have the time to gamble myself anymore since companies for sure knows what actions to take if ever that research is already CONLCUDED. of course, common sense they will stop the demand for shift works. so would there be anything left to gamble? if there is 1 thing im pretty sure of if ever by chance that happens.... i'll be transferred to a day shift. makes sense?...and it would probably be too late...[br]Posted on: March 05, 2008, 01:01:23 PM_________________________________________________1 thing more.. if i'll be transferred to a day shift. does'nt it show that the BPO company cares for their employees? let's be practical ok. you're not the "only one" who's working in a call center or in any other jobs that require night shifts. so please let's get over that me me me thinking. does it always have to be you?

the bulk of call center employees, probably 70%, works the graveyard shift. that's where we should focus. that's where the BPO companies shoud focus more on as far as this health hazard is concerned. for now, posters, handbooks and other related media that explains the health hazards is all I'm asking for now.

are the BPO companies doing that?

[esprugodoys]

hmmmmm....
is this thread really intended for "sharing" of opinions or is this somewhat like a "campaign" already?
just like to ask though..
because of these lines and lines about cancer in working night shift you are bombarding in this thread you sound like you are ready to conduct seminars on each CC company.
and lastly, why are using this research thing against BPO's night shift work when there already night shift work that existed long before the BPO industies did when you have no personal vendetta against BPO?
dili r mn cguro BPO ang naa night shift work dba? [br]Posted on: March 05, 2008, 01:25:07 PM_________________________________________________l ike what Metz posted... naa p lain job nga nag demand ug night shift work which are more stressful than in the BPO.
and if you were to own a BPO industry lets say for example, your company has thousands of employees working in the night shift, are you going to educate them those information, provide booklets, posters or whatever means of medium that can be used to spread the news about this research? can you imagine what would be the effect of that?

its not just you who is aware about this health concern, not just us employees in this afformentioned company, but also those who are managing these BPO industries here..

[yokam]

This is supposed to be a warning or some sort of information, a very important and alarming information. I find it quite funny that some people would rather believe their own judgment than results of very, very credible research institutions.

Don't take this lightly, especially for those who are working at CCs, this is something that might save your lives in the long run.. and even your pockets.

[stubburn]

hehehe..bro omad! i hope you don't mind if i did a little bit of researching. let me say lng sa ha why i even bothered looking up stuff about this thread. first of all, i understand your concern and what triggered you to put up all these info. seriously, i am concerned man sad of my health. reading the notes that you posted from reliable sources? who wouldn't beleive that?! hehe..i do. but let's just say that my point of view in life is not so negative. i see life in a positive way no matter what sh*t happens. for me lng ha, no offense.. the stuff that you copied and pasted in this thread.. it seems so negative. as if working in a call center is really really really bad na jud for our health and even though naa annual check ups and healthcare benefits..bati gyapon and walay kwenta. wla man cguro work na dli bad for our health. i mean mka stress and tiring and mka sick man jd madugayan if you're working. mao bitaw na check ups to see unsa sakit and what it might lead to and so we can prevent it. mai gni naa healthcare benefits kaysa wla jd. people have hard work and labor to do in order to live and survive unless richness ka..no need to struggle. hehe..bitaw, with the scary infos i found..naa sad tawn little...or let's say a tiny positive info regarding your concern..here goes..[br]Posted on: March 06, 2008, 02:01:55 AM_________________________________________________N ext month, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the cancer arm of the World Health Organization, will add overnight shift work as a probable carcinogen. The American Cancer Society says it will likely follow. Up to now, the U.S. organization has considered the work-cancer link to be "uncertain, controversial or unproven."

The higher cancer rates don't prove working overnight can cause cancer. There may be other factors common among graveyard shift workers that raise their risk for cancer.
However, scientists suspect that overnight work is dangerous because it disrupts the circadian rhythm, the body's biological clock. The hormone melatonin, which can suppress tumor development, is normally produced at night.

If the graveyard shift theory eventually proves correct, millions of people worldwide could be affected.
There are still plenty of skeptics. And to put the risk in perspective, the "probable carcinogen" tag means that the link between overnight work and cancer is merely plausible.

Among the long list of agents that are listed as "known" carcinogens are alcoholic beverages and birth control pills. Such lists say nothing about exposure amount or length of time or how likely they are to cause cancer. The American Cancer Society Web site notes that carcinogens do not cause cancer at all times.
Scientists believe having lower melatonin levels can raise the risk of developing cancer. Light shuts down melatonin production, so people working in artificial light at night may have lower melatonin levels.

"The problem is re-setting your body's clock," said Aaron Blair, of the United States' National Cancer Institute, who chaired IARC's recent meeting on shift work. "If you worked at night and stayed on it, that would be less disruptive than constantly changing shifts."

He advises workers to sleep in a darkened room once they get off work. "The balance between light and dark is very important for your body. Just get a dark night's sleep."

good news!!
Meanwhile, scientists are trying to come up with ways to reduce night workers' cancer risk. And some companies are experimenting with different lighting, seeking a type that doesn't affect melatonin production.


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...bcancer29.html

you might think that people working in CCs posting here in this thread are against you. what you posted was very helpful insights but at the same time scary. hehe.. imagine..all you posted was effects and all that. wa man lng how to prevent or lessen or whatsoever..except for the "thought" na resign nlng ug CC pra d mgka cancer. hehe..my own thoughts lng.. peace bro!