The report found that platform work had increasingly become a long-term source of livelihood rather than temporary employment
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A new report on the occupational safety and health of platform-based gig workers in India has found that 57 per cent of the workers surveyed worked more than 49 hours a week, while 65.5 per cent reported fatigue and sleep disruption, 47.5 per cent suffered musculoskeletal pain, 41.1 per cent experienced stress and anxiety and 30 per cent reported eye strain.The report, published by Jan Pahal and the Gig Workers Association of India, said that India’s labour protections have failed to keep pace with the rapidly expanding platform economy, leaving workers exposed to long working hours and multiple occupational health and safety risks without adequate protection.During the press conference, the gig workers narrated their ordeal and said that the entire system has been designed incentivising faster delivery where workers have to be in a hurry leading to accidents. Majid, a food delivery worker said that he has seen multiple accidents because the workers were in a rush to deliver the package. If they do not rush, their rating will go down leading to lesser incentive. The nationwide study covered 1,000 platform workers across 10 cities, including food delivery workers, ride-hailing drivers, e-commerce delivery personnel and workers engaged in household and personal care services.The report found that platform work had increasingly become a long-term source of livelihood rather than temporary employment. Nearly 23 per cent of the workers surveyed reported working more than 70 hours a week, while 72.3 per cent had remained on platforms for more than a year. Of these, 38.4% had worked for more than two years and 18.4 per cent for over five years.Despite the long working hours and health risks, 68.4 per cent of workers said they received no health-related support from the platforms they worked for.Seema Kaur, another gig worker, said that the workers do not know much about E-shram portal because companies are not making them aware about it where they can register and avail benefits. “Most of the gig workers do not know about the announcement of the Ayushman scheme for them,” she said. Extreme heat was another major occupational health concern, with more than 84 per cent of workers reporting regular exposure to extreme heat. About 75.5 per cent said rising temperatures had a moderate to severe impact on their productivity and workplace safety.The health effects of heat exposure were also widespread. Nearly 61.8 per cent reported heat exhaustion, 50.4 per cent dehydration and 49 per cent severe overheating. Another 41.3 per cent reported skin irritation and 26.9 per cent respiratory illnesses aggravated by heat and poor air quality.The report found that workers were also losing income while trying to protect themselves from extreme weather. Nearly 58.9 per cent said they had reduced their working hours and 15.6 per cent had stopped working altogether because of such conditions.Road safety emerged as another significant occupational risk. Nearly 66.4 per cent of workers relied on two-wheelers as their primary mode of transport. About 62.2 per cent reported experiencing near-miss road accidents, 27 per cent had been involved in traffic accidents while working and 38 per cent had suffered injuries due to poor road conditions.More than a third of workers (34.1 per cent) reported experiencing harassment, abuse or violence while working, while 26.6 per cent had witnessed similar incidents involving fellow workers.The study also highlighted the lack of basic workplace facilities. Nearly 74.6 per cent of workers had no access to rest areas, while 53.8 per cent had to pay for drinking water themselves. About 66.2 per cent rarely or never took breaks during working hours.Access to toilets was also limited, with 43.9 per cent relying on paid public toilets, 15 per cent having no toilet access while working and 11.3% depending on restaurants or customers’ homes to use washrooms.The report further found gaps in social protection, with 44.2 per cent of workers reporting that they had no accident insurance and 62.2 per cent lacking health insurance. Nearly 59 per cent had received no safety training, while another 23.4 per cent said the training available to them was inadequate.Published on September 3, 2026
