Motosikletli Kuryelerin COVID-19 Pandemisi Döneminde İş Sağlığı Güvenliği Koşulları ve İş Güvencesizliği Düzeyi

Abstract

This descriptive study aimed to determine the occupational health and safety conditions and job insecurity of ‘All Anatolian Motorcycle Couriers Federation’ members while working as motorcycle couriers and to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on working conditions. In November 2021, 269 people from 18 different districts participated in the research conducted with the online form. 97% of the participants were male and the median age of all participants is 30. 17.8% have been working as a motorcycle courier for less than two years coinciding with the pandemic period. The frequency of the participants who don’t have social security is 16% and 24.2% worked on their behalf. The frequency of those diagnosed with COVID-19 is 17.5%, and among those who state that there was someone diagnosed with COVID-19 among their colleagues is 70.3%. The number of daily deliveries and working hours are statistically significantly higher during the period of ‘pandemic with restrictions’ than in the periods of ‘pre-pandemic’ and ‘pandemic with restrictions’ (p<0.001). The frequency of the participants is 95.9% who worked six or seven days and 79.2% of all participants have had problems in their working life due to heavy workload. Problems related to traffic come to the fore, 49.4% had at least one traffic accident. 65.4% of the participants were exposed to violence at least once while working as a courier. The most frequently received training was safe riding for motorcycle, with 68.9%, and 61.6% received general occupational health and safety training. 57.1% of the participants who had a bad relationship with their managers stated that their health deteriorated after they started working as a motorcycle courier (p=0.001). It was determined that 39.4% of the participants had a high perception of quantitative job insecurity, and 41.3% had a high perception of qualitative job insecurity. Both job insecurity scale scores were higher in participants without social security. The frequency of the participants who had a high score is 46.5% who felt excluded from society due to being a courier during the pandemic period (p=0.009). Participants who had a bad or moderate relationship with their manager, get a 2.36 (95% CI=1,31-4,26) times more high perception of quantitative job insecurity score and it is 3.80 (95% CI=2,10-6,89) times more for those who are exposed to mobbing. To provide appropriate occupational health and safety conditions for motorcycle couriers, and to regulate working conditions and working environment conditions, necessary legal regulations and practices such as training should be arranged with the relevant institutions and organizations. It is necessary to carry out studies that will bring the functionality of occupational standards.