A cross-sectional study on 6,676 workers consisting of 4,243 males and 2,433 females aged 20-58 yr in a metal product factory was conducted to elucidate the relationship between work characteristics, e.g. job demand/control/support, sedentary job, overtime work and shift work, and waist to hip ratio (WHR) as well as body mass index (BMI) taking alcohol consumption, smoking, exercise and other psychosocial factors such as education and marital status into account. By a stepwise multiple regression analysis, BMI was associated with shift work, marital status and sedentary job for males, and with exercise but inversely associated with education for females. WHR was also associated with shift work, alcohol consumption, marital status and sedentary job but inversely associated with exercise for males, and with sedentary job, marital status and education but inversely associated with smoking for females. These results suggest that work characteristics such as sedentary job and shift work should also be considered when trying to prevent increases in BMI and WHR.