diff --git a/webvirtcloud/gunicorn_worker.py b/webvirtcloud/gunicorn_worker.py
index 98c3a990..6672c009 100644
--- a/webvirtcloud/gunicorn_worker.py
+++ b/webvirtcloud/gunicorn_worker.py
@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@ class Worker(ThreadWorker):
         with self.started_lock:
             oldest = min(self.started.values(), default=None)
         if oldest is not None and time.monotonic() - oldest > self.cfg.timeout:
-            self.log.critical("A request ran past %s s: the worker exits", self.cfg.timeout)
+            # a log write can block (a full pipe, a handler a stuck thread holds): it gets a second
+            log = threading.Thread(target=self.log.critical, daemon=True,
+                                   args=("A request ran past %s s: the worker exits", self.cfg.timeout))
+            log.start()
+            log.join(1)
             os._exit(1)  # its threads cannot be stopped, and exit() would wait for them
         super().notify()
diff --git a/webvirtcloud/tests/test_gunicorn_worker.py b/webvirtcloud/tests/test_gunicorn_worker.py
index 6bea26ac..b91ac3e6 100644
--- a/webvirtcloud/tests/test_gunicorn_worker.py
+++ b/webvirtcloud/tests/test_gunicorn_worker.py
@@ -50,6 +50,17 @@ class WorkerTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
                 w.notify()
         exit_.assert_called_once_with(1)
         notify.assert_not_called()
+        w.log.critical.assert_called_once()
+
+    def test_a_log_that_blocks_does_not_keep_the_worker_from_exiting(self):
+        w = worker()
+        w.started[1] = time.monotonic() - 601
+        w.log.critical.side_effect = lambda *args: threading.Event().wait(30)
+        started = time.monotonic()
+        with patch("os._exit", side_effect=SystemExit) as exit_, self.assertRaises(SystemExit):
+            w.notify()
+        exit_.assert_called_once_with(1)
+        self.assertLess(time.monotonic() - started, 2)
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":