Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Fit for WorkOH service deliveryGig economyOccupational Health

Drivers working in gig economy not provided with safety training

by Nic Paton 24 Sep 2018
by Nic Paton 24 Sep 2018

A study into drivers working as part of the “gig economy” has highlighted the importance of businesses treating the management of occupational road risk as a mainstream health and safety work issue, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has emphasised.

The research by University College London has revealed that 63% of self-employed couriers or taxi drivers surveyed were not provided with safety training on managing risks on the road, while 65% were not given any safety equipment.

Related stories

Gig economy drivers on collision course with GDPR

How gig economy compromises health and wellbeing of workers

Interruptions by mobile phones and apps and time pressures were also highlighted as issues that could cause an incident.

An estimated 25% to 33% of road casualties are work-related, and in 2016 work-related crashes resulted in 529 deaths and 5,269 serious injuries, RoSPA has said.

John Greenhough, fleet consultant at RoSPA, described the UCL findings as “worrying”, with more than 40% of those surveyed reporting their vehicle had been damaged as a result of a collision while working, with one in 10 saying someone had been injured.

“This demonstrates the need, more than ever, for all employers to develop a systematic approach to managing occupational road risk that is appropriate to their business,” he said.

Separately, unions and the Labour Party have warned the Ministry of Justice that victims of accidents – including workplace and road traffic accidents – will find it harder to secure compensation from employers under plans to double the lower limit for recovering costs in minor injury cases.

The government is to increase what is known as the “small claims limit” from £1,000 to £2,000 from 2020.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

This will mean that employees or members of the public who suffer injuries estimated to be worth less than £2,000 will not be able to recover the cost of any legal advice from those they are suing. For road traffic accidents, the limit will increase to £5,000.

“If workers can’t receive compensation for their injuries, they will also be denied claiming compensation for loss of earnings. Bad bosses will know that even if they injure a worker they won’t have to pay them their wages while they recover,” warned Howard Beckett, assistant general secretary of the Unite union.

Nic Paton

Nic Paton is consultant editor at Personnel Today. One of the country's foremost workplace health journalists, Nic has written for Personnel Today and Occupational Health & Wellbeing since 2001, and edited the magazine from 2018.

previous post
Call for health screening to be introduced for Grenfell Tower emergency workers
next post
TUPE and service provision change: What happens if a service is fragmented?

You may also like

Uncertainty over law hampering legal use of medical...

20 May 2025

Employers ‘worryingly’ ignorant about stress risk assessments

20 May 2025

Awareness weeks fuel spike in demand for mental...

19 May 2025

Healthcare workers prioritise mental health support in new...

12 May 2025

Two-thirds of school leaders suffering mental ill health

6 May 2025

‘Healthy work’ about much more than access to...

28 Apr 2025

Tool developed for employers to calculate cost of...

28 Apr 2025

Why employers must do more to support all...

24 Apr 2025

How to help employees quit vaping before new...

22 Apr 2025

NHS urging people to check for cancer warning...

22 Apr 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today