Study to gather evidence on the working conditions of platform workers

Introduction The rise of the platform economy has created new forms of work, including platform work. However, platform workers are more vulnerable to occupational safety and health (OSH) risks compared to traditional workers. Platform algorithms, designed for efficiency, can endanger workers' health and safety. For example, delivery riders face increased traffic accident risks due to short delivery times imposed by algorithms. Additionally, platform workers often experience psychological stress due to unstable work environments, opaque evaluation systems, and unfair attribution of responsibility. Research Objectives This study aims to contribute to the social discourse on platform workers' health issues by thoroughly analysing them through qualitative and quantitative research methods and proposing solutions. The research comprises three main components: 1. In-depth Interviews with Platform Workers We conducted in-depth interviews with platform workers from seven different types of jobs: delivery, ride-hailing, caregiving, quick service, food delivery, housework, and cultural arts. By analyzing the characteristics and OSH issues of each type, we shed light on the diversity of the platform economy, the seriousness of the health problems it generates, and seek to identify homogenous occupational health challenges faced by workers across various sectors. 2. 10-Year Research on Platform Drivers and Participatory Research We present the results of a 10-year study on platform drivers and a participatory research project on how they protect their occupational health. This study analyzes the types of health problems, causes, and preventive measures for platform drivers, specifically identifying the health risk factors in the platform economy. Additionally, the participatory research conducted with platform drivers highlights their strategies and challenges in protecting their occupational health. 3. Algorithm Tax as a Policy Solution We analyze the negative impact of platform algorithms on platform workers' health and propose an algorithm tax as a policy solution. The algorithm tax would be a levy on platform companies' algorithm usage, generating the necessary resources to improve OSH for platform workers. This would enhance platform companies' social responsibility and establish a social safety net for platform workers' health protection. Conclusion and Policy Implications This study emphasizes that platform workers' health issues should not be regarded as individual problems but as social issues that require collective solutions. As the platform economy grows, platform workers' health problems are becoming more severe, potentially affecting the health and safety of society as a whole. Therefore, collaborative efforts from various stakeholders, including governments, businesses, workers, and academia, are crucial to addressing platform workers' health issues.

The Working Group on Pathology and Diseases of Marine Organisms (WGPDMO) investigates diseases and pathology in wild and farmed finfish, shellfish and crustaceans. This report describes new disease trends in wild and farmed fish and shellfish in the ICES area, based on national reports from fourteen member countries. Notable reports for wild fish included a widening geographic scope of the enigmatic “red skin disease” in wild Atlantic salmon, with reports now from Norway, Scotland and Ireland as well as the Baltic Sea countries where it was origi-nally observed; increased prevalences of Ichthyophonus sp. infection in herring from Iceland and mackerel from Norway, suggesting potentially increased affects of this pathogen on wild fish in the north; and the first detection of eel rhabdovirus (EVEX) in England and Wales since the 1980s. Detection of piscine orthoreovirus (PRV) in exotic pink salmon straying from cultivation in Russian rivers to Norway raised questions about potential disease interactions between pink salmon and farmed Atlantic salmon that deserve further attention. Reports of diseases in farmed fish included the first detections of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV, pathogenic genogroup 5 )and Parvicapsula pseudobranchicolain Atlantic salmon from Iceland, increased detection of Pasteurella skyensis in Atlantic salmon in Scotland, and increased detection of furunculosis caused by Aeromonas salmonicidain Atlantic salmon from Ireland. Sea lice parasitism and complex gill disease (CGD) remain highly significant concerns for Atlantic salmon aquaculture, with reports for 2019 noting increasing prevalences and impacts of both. Notable reports of diseases for shellfish included an outbreak of Haplosporidium costale in cultured Pacific oysters in France; mortality caused by Vibrio aestuarianusin cultured Pacific oysters in Scotland and Ireland, with additional and unusual detection of bacteria belonging to the Vibrio splendidus clade in association with Pacific oyster mortality in Ireland; mortality caused by a coccidian parasite in wild bay scallops in the USA; and documented expansions of the distributions of Bonamia ostreae in flat oysters in Scotland and Marteilia refringens in blue mussels in Norway. The group also summarized work on the role of Vibrio pathogens in contributing to mortalities in shellfish aquaculture as well as seafood-associated disease risks in humans, on the contemporary status of oyster pathogen Bonamia ostreae, on complex gill disease in salmon, on emerging health issues affecting wild salmonids of the Baltic region, and on disease considerations related to cleaner-fish use in salmon culture. The group additionally discussed the status and future directions of the ICES Identification Leaflets for Diseases and Parasites of Fish and Shellfish, and priorities for their work from 2021, potentially including health threats to endangered pen shells in the Mediterranean; eel diseases; and a consideration of which host-pathogen systems might be most promising for management through selective breeding. Group members published two new ICES Identification Leaflets for Diseases and Parasites in Fish and Shellfish in 2019 and five new leaflets are planned for completion in 2020.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) is one of the most significant international organizations dealing with workers' problems. In 2019, this organization celebrated its 100th anniversary. On that occasion, the ILO presented programs for work improvement for the coming period. In this regard, the Director-General of this organization has published a document entitled ＂The Future of Work Centenary Initiative＂. Based on the analysis of this document, it was noted that the ergonomics and its possibilities of contributing to the improvement of the work and working conditions of workers were not mentioned in this initiative, which presents an omission in terms of the possibility to achieve a complete humanization of work. It was also noted that the contributions of some other scientific disciplines in this direction were also not recognized. One of the main contributions of this paper manifests in the identification and systematization of the main areas that have an impact on work improvement. It has been identified 14 such areas. Only by developing all the identified areas and engaging experts in those areas can a comprehensive and complete improvement of the work and well-being of workers in the future be ensured. Part of the paper is devoted to the role of ergonomics in improving the work and position of workers, as well as the possibility of closer cooperation between the ILO and international ergonomic organizations such as the International Ergonomics Association (IEA) and the Federation of European Ergonomics Societies (FEES).

The spread of digital labour platforms has sparked discussions about the future of work in the digital space. Improving working conditions for platform workers has become a central issue in recent research. This study aimed to examine how platform workers’ attitudes towards social security and job satisfaction vary by age and social status. Additionally, it reviewed previous research on platform working conditions and remuneration. The survey, conducted between 13 November 2023 and 20 May 2024, collected 437 responses on working conditions on digital platforms in Lithuania. The research methods included systematic and comparative literature analysis, as well as statistical data analysis using the Scheirer-Ray-Hare test and variance analysis. The results showed that attitudes towards platform work vary by age and social status. Platform workers aged 18-24 in Lithuania identified lower commuting, lunch, and rental costs as key advantages of platform work. Platform workers aged 34-55 were primarily concerned about the lack of paid breaks and holidays on digital platforms. Freelancers and students were concerned about irregular working hours, fluctuating workloads, and unpaid time spent searching for tasks. Parents prioritised flexibility and autonomy when working on platforms.

This article highlights the debate on social security regimes applicable to platform workers in Italy. As social security regimes differ according to the type of employment or self‐employment relationship, Italian case law dealing with platform workers’ employment status will be illustrated. Italian legislation, case law and collective bargaining on health and safety at work will then be presented, clarifying the coverage to which platform workers are entitled in the event of accidents at work and occupational diseases, with a focus on the COVID‐19 pandemic impact. In turn, the two main Italian minimum income schemes and the related scholarly debate will be outlined, as well as their impact on the ability of digital labour platforms to avoid their responsibilities as regards workers’ rights, including access to adequate social protection.

This article examines the complex and innovative personal scope of the EU Platform Work Directive 2024/2831, highlighting its dual framing around the concepts of ‘platform workers’ and the broader category of ‘persons performing platform work’. The authors explore how the Directive partially departs from traditional binary distinctions between employees and self-employed persons by introducing a more nuanced regulatory approach anchored in both labour law and data protection law. The article analyses the scope of key provisions of the Directive, showing how it confers many protections beyond the confines of the employment relationship. It critically evaluates the potential interpretive tensions between Articles 4 and 5 and underscores the Directive's expansive redefinition of platform work. In doing so, the article positions the Directive as a paradigm shift in EU social regulation – one that embraces a universalistic vision of labour rights grounded in the reality of personal work rather than contractual form and employment status. The authors also reflect on the implications for future EU regulation and international standard-setting processes, particularly those led by the ILO.

Platform-mediated work (PMW) represents a highly unregulated and individualized segment of the labor market, with significant implications for psychosocial work environment and limited occupational health and safety (OHS) management efforts. The use of algorithmic management (AM) by digital platforms extensively directs and disciplines remote workers in PMW, and may exacerbate risks. This study employs the affordance concept initially introduced into safety science by Vicente and Rasmussen in 1992 and later applied in social media studies. Adopting a platform-sensitive approach, this study examines how digital mediation facilitates encounters between platform workers and customers across three types of PMW, and in turn affects harassment among platform workers. The analysis draws on 22 qualitative interviews with young platform workers supplemented by three workshops involving 13 stakeholder participants, informed by the Canadian Knowledge Transfer–Exchange approach. The findings identify three high-level affordances that significantly shape risks of harassment: (1) platforms’ ability to transcend physical space; (2) a digital blurring of private–professional boundaries; and (3) the amplification of asymmetric power relations among platform workers’ customers and platforms, relations that are gendered, classed, and racialized. The type and severity of harassment differ across the three types of platforms explored.

شناخت آسیب پذیری جمعیت و گروه های انسانی به عنوان اقدامی ابزاری در راستای پیشگیری از زایش فاجعه مبتنی بر زیستن در نواحی پر خطر مطرح است. تحلیل آسیب پذیری کانون‌های جمعیتی واقع در عرصه های خطر اقدامی علمی برای فراهم سازی زیر ساخت اطلاعاتی مناسب از درجه و میزان خطرپذیری از رخداد مخاطره است. بر اساس چنین دیدگاهی مسئله تحلیل آسیب پذیری ناشی از مخاطرات ژئومورفولوژیک فرونشست در جنوب شهر تهران مورد توجه قرار گرفته است. بدین منظور در ابتدا با استفاده از تکنیک تداخل سنجی راداری نرخ و دامنه فرونشست در محدوده مورد مطالعه استخراج گردید. سپس برای تولید نقشه فضایی عرصه های پر مخاطره نرخ و دامنه فرونشست به عنوان فاکتور عامل در زایش مخاطره به تحلیل گر سیستم در محیط GIS وارد گردید. نقشه خروجی معرف سلول‌های واجد ارزش متفاوت از فاکتور زایش مخاطره است. استخراج عرصه متعلق پهنه در معرض مخاطره نشان داد که از مجموع مساحت محدوده 7/12 درصد در پهنه های بسیار پرخطر، 7/14 در عرصه پرخطر،5/15 در عرصه نسبتاً پرخطر بیش از نیمی از محدوده (57درصد) در عرصه نسبتاً کم خطر قرار گرفته‌اند. برای ارزیابی میزان خطرپذیری، الگوی توزیع فضایی تأسیسات و ساخت‌وساز های موجود با نقشه عرصه های در معرض خطر هم نهاد گردید. مبتنی بر این اطلاعات و با استفاده از پیمایش میدانی اقدام به بررسی آسیب پذیری جمعیت ،مساکن و تأسیسات موجود در محدوده مورد مطالعه صورت پذیرفت. یافته های تحقیق موید آسیب پذیر بودن اکثر سکونت گاه‌ها و جمعیت ساکن درآنهاو تأسیسات موجود در محدوده می‌باشد. همچنین بر اساس پایش های میدانی صورت گرفته مشخص گردید که اکثر ساخت و سازهای موجود در منطقه غیر اصولی بوده که این امر باعث فراهم آوری زیرساخت آسیب پذیری برای مستحدثات در شرایط خطرپذیر است.

The Charlie Gibbs offsetting by ~ 340 km the Mid Atlantic Ridge (MAR) axis at 52°-53° N is one of the main transform systems of the North Atlantic. Located between long mid-ocean ridge segments influenced from the south by the Azores and from the north by the Iceland mantle plumes, this transform system has been active since the early phases of North Atlantic rifting. Object of several surveys in the ’70 and ’80, Charlie Gibbs received great attention for its unique structure characterized by two long-lived right-lateral transform faults linked by a short ~ 40 km-long intra-transform spreading centre (ITR) with parallel fracture zone valleys extending continuously towards the continental margins. In October 2020 expedition S50 of the R/V A.N. Strakhov surveyed an area of 54,552 km2 covering the entire Charlie Gibbs transform system and the adjacent MAR spreading segments. We collected new bathymetric, magnetic and high-resolution single channel seismic data, along with basaltic, gabbroic and mantle rocks from 21 dredges. This work contains preliminary data from cruise S50 and discusses the large-scale architecture of this unique, long-lived transform system.

Experimental and discrete element methods were used to investigate the effects of distance between two preexisting cracks, bridge area (The length of the bridge area) and its angularities on the shear behaviour of bridge area. A punchthrough shear test was used to model the gypsum (concrete like) cracks under shear loading. Gypsum samples (concrete like) with dimension of 120 mm × 120 mm × 50 mm were prepared in the laboratory. Within the specimen model and near its four corners, four vertical notches were provided. Three different configuration systems were prepared for notches; i.e., paralell and in plane, inside echelon and outside echelon configuration systems, respectively. In these configurations, the length of cracks were taken as 2 cm, 4 cm and 6 cm based on the cracks configuration systems. Then, 9 specimens with different lengths of the bridge area and bridge area angles were prepared. Assuming a plane strain condition, special rectangular models were prepared with dimensions of 100 mm × 100 mm. similar to those for cracks configuration systems in the experimental tests i.e., 9 models with different lengths of the bridge area and bridge area angularities were prepared. The axial load was applied to the punch through the central portion of the model. This testing showed that the failure process was mostly governed by the lengths of the bridge area and bridge area angularities. The shear strengths of the specimens were related to the fracture pattern and failure mechanism of the discontinuities. It was shown that the shear behaviour of discontinuities is related to the number of the induced tensile cracks which are increased by increasing the lengths of the bridge area. The strength of samples decreases by increasing the crack length. Also, the outside echelon crack configuration system has the maximum value of strength while the inside echelon crack configuration system has the minimum value of specimen's tensile strength. The failure pattern and failure strength are similar in both methods i.e., the experimental testing and the numerical simulation methods.

Ideas about retrieval of memories are based largely on localization of function inferred after brain damage. On the other hand, communication in the cerebral cortex occurs through an intricate network of connections, suggesting highly distributed circuits. Loss of memory after lesions thus affects not only the damaged area, but also its rich inputs and outputs. The discussion here is based on a structural model of neural communication that can help explain the process of recruiting highly distributed relevant signals for conceptual and sensory recognition and memory. Discussion of cortical communication has traditionally been sensory-centric, based on the flow of information from the periphery to primary sensory areas and beyond, or in the reverse direction. However, visual signals often do not activate areas along a sequential route as predicted by a hierarchical model, exemplified by the fact that some visual signals activate prefrontal areas earlier than some visual association areas. On the other hand, the structural model for connections is based on the fundamental principle of systematic variation in laminar architecture of the cortex and applies to all cortical systems. The structural model is relational: it predicts that laminar-specific connections in the cortex depend on the structural (laminar) relationship between linked areas. Thus, connections that link an area with simpler laminar structure originate mainly – but not exclusively – in the deep layers and terminate mainly in the upper layers of an area with more elaborate laminar structure. In the opposite direction, connections originate in the upper layers and terminate in the middle-deep layers. Because the laminar architecture across cortical areas is graded, so is the distribution of connections within layers. The structural model holds for connections in all cortical systems and diverse species. Moreover, laminar-specific connections as predicted by the structural model terminate within inhibitory microenvironments that also differ by the distribution of functionally distinct classes of inhibitory neurons that can dynamically shift activity among layers and change cortical rhythms. The relational nature of the structural model and predictions of graded patterns of connections thus suggest that distributed areas and layers are recruited dynamically to meet task demands, including recollection of concepts and events.

Prison and jail regulation is the administrative law of mass incarceration. Although the United States imprisons more people than any other nation, our corrections policies are a legal 'no man’s land.' Scholars ignore them. Courts defer to them. States routinely exempt them from their administrative procedure act requirements. This Article focuses on the largely unexamined area of corrections regulation and makes the case for subjecting corrections policies to notice- and-comment rulemaking, or according them less deference. Corrections rules became increasingly important when the first wave of prison reform efforts produced bureaucratization of prison systems in the 1970s and early 1980s. Subsequently, incarceration rates sky-rocketed, particularly for people of color. While courts have abandoned an explicit 'hands-off' policy towards prisons, they have switched instead to a posture of deference to corrections policies. As a result, prison and jail regulation is a legal regime that reinforces racial hierarchies. This Article discusses the wide range of corrections policies that affect prisoners and their families, as well as free communities. With 700,000 prisoners returning home annually, it argues, we cannot ignore prison and jail regulation, for reasons of public health and safety, if not fairness. The Article canvasses state administrative procedure acts and confirms that corrections policies are often exempt or partially exempt from rulemaking requirements. It calls for greater opportunities for democratic participation, accountability, and transparency in corrections rule-making.

Corporate social disclosures are needed to communicate social and environmental effects derived from corporate's economic activities to stakeholders, to the interested parties. The degree of disclosure is affected by several factors, internally and or externally. The purpose of this research is focused on internal factors: profit and stock ownership. Profitability and stock ownership are predicted influence the degree of corporate social disclosure in mining companies. listed at Indonesian S'ock Exchange in 2005-2007, Intention of this research is to know 'whether profitability, institutional ownership and foreign ownership influence to level of corporate social disclosure. Corporate social disclosure done by companies in several areas of energy, health and safety at work, labor, product ana social activities, This research applies company size as control variable. Nine mining companies selected with purposive sampling technique. Data analyzed llSlng linear regression and showed only profitability variable and foreign o',j/nership influenced corporate social disclosure significantly.

Over the past several decades, extreme drought events have become increasingly frequent in Central Serbia and have affected vast areas of land. In agriculture, the impact of drought is dramatic, especially if the soils in the affected area are shallow, like in most of the Sumadija Region where field crops, fruits and grapevines are traditionally rainfed. Exceptionally dry years have a multiple-year effect. Investment in irrigation is imminent but not feasible without state subsidies. To arrive at an impartial decision as to which part of a region should be given priority, it is extremely important to study the spatial distribution and severity of drought. Assessments made to date have resulted in the identification of areas with similar precipitation patterns. However, these assessments are rather crude and have classified parts of Serbia by precipitation depth or climatological precipitation deficit; as such, they are not accurate enough for agricultural purposes. Present-day needs call for more detailed analyses on a smaller scale for specific purposes such as plant production. It is a well-known fact that drought does not simultaneously affect an entire region. It is generally more severe in a certain area, less severe in another area, and may leave parts of the region unaffected. The objective of this research was to conduct a statistical analysis to determine the homogeneity of drought within a region, in spatial and temporal terms. Towards that end, the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) of the growing season was studied in 12 areas over a monitoring period of 60 years. Applying the Principle Component Analysis (PCA) method, a single dominant component with a total variance of 69.47% was determined, to which all sites contributed equally. Varimax rotation was then applied and resulted in the identification of three areas. Based on this study of the spatial distribution of drought in the considered region, only one area to the east could be reliably identified as experiencing neither extreme drought nor excessive moisture, while no such claim could be made about two other areas which were assessed. Consequently, drought mitigation measures may be based on separate, homogeneous units. Key words: Agricultural drought, principal component analysis (PCA), standardize precipitation index (SPI).

The sand quarry activities in Cikalahang Village, District of Dukuhpuntang, Cirebon Regency had been illegally mined by hundreds of people. The land properties are owned by the Cikalahang Village. Those mine areas are close to the Telaga Remis (Remis Lake) , which is administratively included in the Kuningan Regency. The existence of illegal mining has disturbed both of local government and people community. In the regional government point of view, the illegal mining will not significantly contribute to generate regional income, whilst for many people their mining activities will produce a destruction to the environment. These can be seen from the objection of the people that request the government to stop all of mine activities because of disturbance to environmental condition of the Telaga Remis (Remis Lake) as one of the water resources for the Cirebon Regency. Based on the intensity of the people requirements, the government of Cirebon Regency had decided to close all of activities of the illegal mining in those area in 2006. According to the decision of Cirebon Regent and the Office of Environment, Forestry and Mining Cirebon Regency, it had prepared planning for rehabilitation and restoration to recover the natural and environmen- tal capability in the mined out areas with respect to the regional spatial planning, land utilization and community demand. The intention of study is to analyse the currently condition of environment in those area including people perception and then making further evaluation to obtain the properly environmental pic- tures for determining the real and strategic action. Data resources to support the study were collected through primary and secondary data. The primary data of physical-chemical component can be obtained by taking instantaneous samples of soil and surface water in the area of study. To identify the people perception, some questioners have been spreaded out to the various strata of people in order to obtain their perception and also direct interview will be applied in this study. The secondary data required for this study such as regional spatial planning, regional landuse and regional regulations will be taken from some institutions in Cirebon Regency. Result analyses showed that the soil characteristics in mined out area were poor because of lack of nutrient and high porousity and the water of Telaga Remis and mine out area could be used as fishing cultivation and household water. The final study shows that the mined out area can potentially be developed as tourism resort in accordance with people request. The other consideration this area is adjacent to Telaga Remis with the background of the beautiful panorama of Mount Ciremai.