Worked to death

In mid-November, Japan agreed to liberalize guidelines for assessing whether a worker's death is "karoshi," the term for death from overwork."
The new standards will add "accumulated fatigue and stress" due to work to the list of factors accepted as leading to karoshi.  A panel of experts said there is a strong relationship between karoshi and overtime of more than 100 hours in the final month, and the overtime of more than 80 hours per month for tow to six months before death.
They also advised the government to consider irregular work hours, the number and length of business trips, and excessive temperatures and noise in the workplace as key factors in determining if an employee had been overworked.  
(source: Chicago Tribune November 21, 2001)