Self-employed and employee transport workers: Labour process determinants of occupational injury

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between the labour process and the health status of self-employed workers. While occupational health and safety (OHS) issues have often been seen to be particular problems for groups of workers in different industries, there have been few comparative studies of self-employed and employee workers. This paper reports on a study conducted to remedy this deficiency, to indicate how labour process theory explains the injury and illness pattern differences between self-employed and employee workers, and to suggest how some of the risks to self-employed worker health can be controlled. Knowledge about the influence of labour process factors assists in the re-organization of hazardous work processes and in the targetting of prevention programs. The study focused particularly on transport workers. It was found that self-employed workers were especially vulnerable, particularly those who were older and who drove at night.