Did anyone else see that recent brilliant TV programme about the science teacher who took his class to China to see how fireworks were made? It was fascinating to see the fireworks being put together and to see all the workers in their various sections.

What really interested me was the glimpse of the very highest paid workers that formed the factory elite. These "lucky" employees work in a separate building (at a safe distance from the main factory) working hands-on with the gunpowder. This is highly dangerous work, for which they are paid two-and-a-half times the salary of the other workers. The factory walls are plastered with prayers and messages from their families so that if the whole factory blows up, they will pass to the afterlife with the blessings of their families.

I expect that many viewers found this very shocking. Perhaps they asked themselves: "Would I put my life in such danger for 10 times my salary? How could anyone put themselves in this position?”

It was only a few years ago that we were told how working long hours and stress were killing us. All the evidence pointed to the fact that long working hours are bad for our health and our families, and that stress-related illness is the silent killer in UK workplaces.

The hot topics of the moment are redundancy, efficiency, innovation and surviving this downturn. I’m noticing a growing long-hours culture among my friends and family as they face the economic crisis and are thankful that their companies are not laying off more staff. With BlackBerries on 24/7 and Skype meetings being run from home, all the tools are there to help people work longer and longer hours across different time zones.

But when HR teams are working harder than ever to help leadership teams weather the storm, we also need to lead by example. Do we all know who the people are in our businesses that work in the equivalent of the gunpowder room? And what can we do to keep them safe from overload, stress and pressure? We won't have a major explosion on our hands but, as stress and pressure builds on those who are lucky enough to still be working hard, we could be witnessing the silent killer in the workplace.