Whilst self-employed gig workers often report being happier and more satisfied with life than peers in regular employment, they nonetheless have a number of clear risks with their livelihood. This was exemplified by a recent study from University College London (UCL), which highlighted the safety risk many couriers and taxi drivers face in the gig economy.
The paper finds that 63% of gig workers aren’t provided any training on how to be safe on the road, with roughly the same number not provided with specific safety equipment to keep them safe, thus forcing the majority to invest in their own equipment. Safety was a real concern for many gig drivers, with 42% revealing that they’d been involved in a collision while working.
“Our findings highlight that the emergence and rise in the popularity of gig work for couriers could lead to an increase in risk factors affecting the health and safety of people who work in the gig economy and other road users,” the authors say. “As more workers enter the economy and competition rises, the number of hours they need to work and distances they must travel to earn a stable income both increase. We know this is an issue but don’t know exactly how far it extends as not all companies need to report the number of self-employed couriers they use to the government.”
Making gig work safer
The report comes with a number of recommendations for how gig work can be made safer. For instance, they advocate introducing time blocks for couriers to sign up to rather than a drop rate. This would reduce the incentive for cyclists to ride unsafely, but if drop rates are still used, they should take account of the time taken to travel safely to discourage poor road use.
What’s more, the authors also urge platforms to rethink how mobile apps are used to engage with workers. Some 40% of workers found the apps to be distracting whilst they are on the road, especially as the apps were designed to alert them to a job via an audio signal that gave them a short window to accept or decline the work.
There was also a considerable risk of fatigue, especially among parcel couriers, as the work was incredibly intense, with a high number of near misses and collisions reported by drivers.
The intense time pressures of the job prompted many to engage in unsafe practices, including going through red lights and speeding.
“In previous years the UK had a good road safety record, but de-regulation over the last few years has left self-employed couriers and taxi drivers at an increased risk of exploitation. The Health and Safety Executive has regulations on safety at work, but these don’t apply to those whose work takes place on public highways,” the authors say.
The authors hope that the recommendations in the report will be taken on board by the Department for Transport, and subsequently incorporated into new and updated health and safety regulations designed specifically for gig economy workers.
With just 25% of respondees believing that the company they gigged for cared for their health and wellbeing, it is perhaps doubly important that the government steps up to the plate.
