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Since 2020, delivery drivers have been covered by INAIL, the Italian National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work. These self-employed workers, who make deliveries via digital platforms, are now entitled to the same financial benefits as employees in the event of an accident at work or occupational diseases.
This is quite rare for this category of workers, who are almost never covered by compulsory insurance. In most countries, these self-employed workers do not have compulsory coverage against accidents at work, which makes it particularly difficult to produce statistics.
This compulsory affiliation introduced in Italy is therefore a valuable source of information for better understanding the occupational risks to which these workers are exposed. In an analysis covering the period 2021-2023, INAIL presents several findings on accidents reported by digital platform delivery workers.
Young men are the most accident-prone
Between 2021 and 2023, 1,364 workplace accidents were reported to INAIL by platform delivery workers, including seven fatalities. The majority of incidents were accidents that occurred during work (77%), while 23% were accidents related to commuting.
Demographically, the victims were overwhelmingly men (92%) under the age of 35 (60%). In addition, more than one in two victims were born abroad, with the majority in Pakistan (4 out of 10 accidents), followed far behind by Bangladesh and India.
Unsurprisingly, accidents are mainly concentrated in large Italian cities where delivery activity is most intense. Rome alone accounts for a quarter of reported accidents, followed by Milan (13%) and Turin (8%).
Of the 1,364 accidents reported, 901 were recognized by INAIL. Analysis of the diagnoses shows a predominance of traumatic injuries:
- 42% correspond to contusions,
- 37% to fractures,
- and 15% to dislocations.
The upper and lower limbs are the most commonly affected parts of the body, accounting for around six out of ten cases.
See also: Focus on the new European directive on digital platform work (2024) (French)
