New Delhi: A new nationwide survey has revealed that while platform workers in India often face high exposure to workspace safety risks but have little access to insurance, safety training and mechanisms to report concerns, reported Business Standard.The survey, which was conducted by labour rights organisation Janpahal and gig workers’ body Gig Workers Association (GigWA) and released on Thursday (September 3) also highlighted the fact that extreme heat as emerged as the most widespread risks.According to the survey, of the 778 workers who flagged working in extreme weather, 96.57% said heat affected their ability to work, while 75.5% reported a moderate-to-severe impact on their productivity and safety. Some of the heat-related health problems that they mentioned included exhaustion, dehydration and severe overheating.The survey further revealed that despite the risks involved in the nature of their work, 62.2% of the workers surveyed did not have health insurance while 44.2% did not have accident insurance.One of the major risks is road safety, with 62.2% respondents saying that they had experienced a near-miss with a vehicle, while 38% sustaining injuries due to road conditions and 27.5% reporting traffic accidents. Around 66.4% of respondents used their own scooter or motorcycle for work, the survey revealed.More than 80% workers who had tried to make an accident insurance claim found the process difficult.The findings are based on a nationwide survey of 1,000 platform workers across 10 cities conducted by Janpahal.“These findings suggest that responsibility for managing occupational risk is largely individualised, with limited institutional support from platforms or effective linkage to social security mechanisms,” said the report.Moreover, the survey revealed that 59.3% of workers didn’t receive any safety training or resources from their platforms, while 23.4% said the training provided was insufficient.Only 7.5% workers said they received comprehensive safety training or resources.In a matter of major concern, the survey revealed that 50% of the workers interviewed were not registered on the e-Shram portal, reported Business Standard.“A substantial section of platform workers, therefore, are missing out on formal recognition and access to crucial social security benefits, such as health insurance under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) and accident insurance under the PM Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY). Beyond these, non-registration also limits access to a wider range of protections envisioned under the Code on Social Security, 2020, which now explicitly includes gig and platform workers within its ambit,” said the report.