Life satisfaction and occupational safety relationship: Research on motorcycle couriers in Turkey

Abstract

Objectives

Rising e-commerce trend with Covid-19 pandemic has significantly increased the need for motorcycle-couriers. The aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between job satisfaction and occupational safety and health (OSH) of motorcycle-couriers and to evaluate the opinions of OSH specialists about the importance of motorcycle-couriers’ life satisfaction and OSH perception levels.

Methods

The relationship between life satisfaction and perception of OSH of 750 motorcycle-couriers was addressed using quantitative research methods through two different scales (Life Satisfaction Scale and Occupational Safety Perception Scale). The views of 20 OSH specialists about the importance of motorcycle-couriers’ perception of life satisfaction and OSH levels were addressed using qualitative research methods.

Results

There was a negative linear relationship between perception of OSH and life satisfaction levels of motorcycle-couriers. All OSH specialists evaluated the level of life satisfaction as an important factor in OSH practice of motorcycle-couriers and all were of the opinion that the job was quite risky and adequate OSH measures were not sufficiently guaranteed.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that there is a need for some legal regulation of this occupation and ensuring necessary occupational standards are applied. This could include increased responsibility of companies/employers and could provide training programs to improve OSH.

Keywords:

• Life satisfaction
• occupational safety
• motorcycle couriers
• Covid-19

Ethical approval

This research was conducted with the decision of Kocaeli University, Social Sciences and Humanities Ethics Committee dated October 18, 2022 and numbered E-10017888-050.04-307902.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Contact corresponding author if interested in using data.

Notes

1 The official minimum wage for the period July 2022 to December 2022 is 5500 TL (300 USD or 310 Euro).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.