Socso Introduces New Standards For Platforms Employing Gig Workers

The Social Security Organisation (Socso) has recently introduced the Malaysian Standard 2756 – Good Practices for Platform Providers in Implementing Work-Related Road Traffic Safety Management (MS 2756:2023).

The move aims to help the government achieve its target to improve road safety in line with the development of the digital economy and gig workers.

Ensuring safer work travel for gig workers

Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar said MS 2756:2023, proposed by Socso, was intended as a guideline for good practices to platform providers to ensure safer management of work travel.

“The Department of Standards Malaysia, under the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI), as the national standards body in Malaysia has successfully published MS 2756:2023 in collaboration with experts from various stakeholders, including the authorities, research institutes, academia, professional bodies and associations as well as industry players,” he said in a speech at the Vision Zero Malaysia Seminar 2023.

“The MS 2756:2023 also supports the government’s current policies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Master Plan 2021-2025 (OSHMP25) and Malaysia Road Safety Plan 2022-2030 (MRSP 2022-2030),” he added during the event’s closing ceremony.

Sivakumar also said that the briefing on MS 2756:2023 was held at the event to help create more awareness on the subject and to encourage its use among related parties.

158 percent increase in accidents involving gig workers

Socso also shared some of the latest statistics regarding accidents recorded under the Self-Employed Social Security Scheme (SKSPS) involving gig workers.

The statistics revealed that there were approximately 1,204 accident cases and 25 deaths reported for both sectors.

“Based on accident report statistics through SKSPS involving the goods and food transport sector as well as passenger transport, there has been an increase of 158.9 per cent from 723 cases in 2021 to 1,872 cases in 2022.

“In fact, an increase of 56 per cent was also recorded in the number of deaths, which jumped from 25 cases in 2021 to 39 in 2022 for workers from the goods and food transport sector and passenger transport in a series of travel-related accidents,” said Socso.