Oral Answer by Senior Minister for State Dr Koh Poh Koon to PQ on work-related accidents among delivery platform workers

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1118  OF 2022 FOR THE SITTING ON 5 JULY 2022
QUESTION NO. 2832, 2833 FOR ORAL ANSWER

QUESTION 2832
MP: Dr Tan Wu Meng
To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) since January 2021, how many food and goods delivery platform workers have died from accidents in the course of their work; (b) whether the Ministry will mandate delivery platforms to report non-fatal job-related injuries and near-misses involving platform workers; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider tracking the compensation and support provided to families of delivery platform workers who have died or suffered serious injuries during work.

QUESTION 2833
MP: Dr Tan Wu Meng
To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will consider requiring delivery platform firms to provide baseline compensation commensurate with the Work Injury Compensation Act, especially when a delivery worker has been seriously injured or died on the job.

Answer: 

 Since January 2021, there have been five fatal work-related traffic accidents involving food and goods delivery platform workers. The Workplace Safety and Health Council is working with platform companies to review work processes to enhance the safety of platform workers on the road to prevent accidents. More details will be shared when ready.

In parallel, the Advisory Committee on Platform Workers is looking at strengthening financial protection in case of work injury for delivery persons, private-hire car drivers and taxi drivers. The Advisory Committee has been engaging platform companies and platform workers on the provision of financial protection to platform workers who are injured at work. Such protection is provided to employees under the Work Injury Compensation Act. The implementation of such a work injury financial protection framework would require the mandatory reporting of work injuries to ensure platform workers receive the necessary compensation.