Delivery workers’ subordinate work in delivery platform companies and street accidents: magnitude and associated factors

This study investigated the magnitude of occupational accidents and associated factors among delivery workers working in Brazil via a web survey. The link to the questionnaire was disseminated via social media and in person. The prevalence of occupational accidents was estimated and Cox regression for cross-sectional studies provided crude and adjusted prevalence ratios to investigate the association between sociodemographic and occupational characteristics and occupational accidents. A total of 563 delivery workers took part in the web survey. A significant prevalence of occupational accidents in the last year was found, corresponding to 44.1%, which rose to 54.6% among those aged up to 28, 50% among those who work seven days per week and 49.1% among those who work more than 10 hours per day. Those who had experienced conflict with clients of delivery companies had a 51.3% prevalence of occupational accidents. This high magnitude, not found in studies of other professions, highlights the accident rate imposed by contemporary precarious work in delivery platform companies, carried out on the streets, given that 82.8% of these incidents were traffic accidents. Among other work factors, conflicts with company clients, lack of support from delivery platform companies and a fast pace were significantly associated with occupational accidents. The high magnitude, the association with the characteristics of the job, and the nature of the events on the streets are outcomes that call for intersectoral action to prevent them, addressing precarious work in delivery platform companies in order to promote decent work.