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. 2022 Sep;65(9):731-742.
doi: 10.1002/ajim.23409. Epub 2022 Jun 28.

Perceived COVID-19 health and job risks faced by digital platform drivers and measures in place to protect them: A qualitative study

Ellen MacEachen  1 , Samantha B Meyer  1 , Shannon Majowicz  1 , Pamela Hopwood  1 , Meghan Crouch  1 , Joyceline Amoako  1 , Yamin T Jahangir  1 , Steve Durant  1 , Antonela Ilic  1
Affiliations

Perceived COVID-19 health and job risks faced by digital platform drivers and measures in place to protect them: A qualitative study

Ellen MacEachen et al. Am J Ind Med. 2022 Sep.

Abstract

Introduction: As they deliver food, packages, and people across cities, digital platform drivers (gig workers) are in a key position to become infected with COVID-19 and transmit it to many others. The aim of this study is to identify perceived COVID-19 exposure and job risks faced by workers and document the measures in place to protect their health, and how workers responded to these measures.

Methods: In 2020-2021, in-depth interviews were conducted in Ontario, Canada, with 33 digital platform drivers and managers across nine platforms that delivered food, packages, or people. Interviews focused on perceived COVID-19 risks and mitigation strategies. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim and uploaded to NVivo software for coding by varied dual pairs of researchers. A Stakeholder Advisory Committee played an instrumental role in the study.

Results: As self-employed workers were without the protection of employment and occupational health standards, platform workers absorbed most of the occupational risks related to COVID-19. Despite safety measures (e.g., contactless delivery) and financial support for COVID-19 illnesses introduced by platform companies, perceived COVID-19 risks remained high because of platform-related work pressures, including rating systems. We identify five key COVID-19 related risks faced by the digital platform drivers.

Conclusion: We situate platform drivers within the broad context of precarious employment and recommend organizational- and government-level interventions to prevent digital platform worker COVID-19 risks and to assist workers ill with COVID-19. Measures to protect the health of platform workers would benefit public health aims by reducing transmission by drivers to families, customers, and consequently, the greater population.

Keywords: covid-19 pandemic; digital platforms; gig economy health interventions; occupational health and safety; precarious employment.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflict of interest.

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