Report summary and highlights
On November 3, 2017, a 19-year-old, independent contractor, bicycle food delivery worker died when struck by a dump truck. The victim, a “gig-economy” worker, was logged onto a food delivery application-based platform via his cell phone at the time of the incident.
In that same section, there is a table with the following information:
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Incident Highlights |
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Date |
November 3, 2017 |
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Time |
1:53 p.m. |
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Victim |
19-year-old male bicycle food delivery worker |
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Industry/NAICS Code |
Local Delivery / 492210 |
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Employer |
Independent Contractor |
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Safety & Training |
No safety and health program and no training |
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Scene |
Industrial section of a roadway |
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Location |
Massachusetts |
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Event Type |
Struck-by |
Contributing factors
Key contributing factors identified in this investigation include:
- No side guards on the truck;
- Vehicle blind spots;
- No company provided safety and health protections for the victim, including no personal protective equipment (PPE), because working as an independent contractor; and
- No dedicated bicycle lanes.
Recommendations
The Massachusetts FACE Program concluded that, to help prevent similar occurrences, employers and other owners of motor vehicles with gross vehicle weight ratings over 10,000 pounds should:
- Consider adding side guards to these vehicles.
Employers, including employers who utilize workers with nontraditional work arrangements should:
- Ensure that all workers who will use bicycles along roadways to perform tasks are wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for the task and should consider providing daytime running lights for the bicycles; and
- Ensure that all workers who will be in proximity to roadways to perform tasks are trained about the concept of vehicle blind spots.
Employers who utilize independent contractors should:
Comply with the Massachusetts Independent Contractor Law to ensure employees are not misclassified as independent contractors.
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| Date published: | April 24, 2020 |
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