The ‘gig economy’ is growing, with considerable contingent of on-demand workers (e.g., drivers and riders) providing services via digital platforms across Australia. However, an understanding of the risks associated with the on-demand work and the factors that contribute to gig worker safety remains limited.
The Gig Economy Reporting of Incidents Tool (GigReports) is developed as a free mobile app, that provides gig economy workers with a simple and quick way of reporting road safety incidents (e.g., crashes and near misses), personal safety incidents, and theft they experience while gig working. Gig workers can also report important information about the incidents (e.g., time and location, incident description) and the factors that contributed to the incidents.
Information gathered in GigReports is analysed and used to identify trends in incidents and incident causation, and to inform the development of strategies designed to enhance gig worker safety. GigReports also presents a summary of the incidents reported to its users, allowing gig workers to understand the hazards they face when gig working. For more information, please read our Research Project Information Sheet.
GigReports is funded through the Road Safety Innovation Fund, a scheme by the Australian Government that supports road safety research and the development of new, innovative road safety technologies and products. GigReports was developed by the Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems at the University of the Sunshine Coast in collaboration with Bizsoft Consulting.
Can I use the app if I am under 18 years old? No, you must be 18 years old or older to be eligible to use the GigReports app.
What defines a ‘road safety incident’? Any event that occurs that results in negative impact. In this context, negative impacts include an injury or property damage resulting from a crash or collision, or other road-based event.
What defines a ‘road safety near miss’? Any event that had the potential to be a road safety incident. In this context, the event involves one or more road users but does not result in a negative impact (i.e., there was no injury, fatality, or property damage due to chance or intervention of some sort).
What defines a ‘major’ incident? In the context of road safety incident, a major incident is defined as any crash that occurs while gig working that results in an individual requiring medical attention or a property requiring repairs.
What defines a ‘minor’ incident? In the context of road safety incident, a minor incident is defined as any crash that occurs while gig working but did not result in an individual requiring medical attention or a property requiring repairs.
What defines a ‘personal safety incident’? Any event that involved actual or threatened harm to an individual from another, including verbal and physical harassment or abuse, as well as other non-road based events that can cause injuries such as slips, trips, and falls while working.
What defines a ‘theft’? Any event that involved the theft of a vehicle, equipment, or personal items.
What is the ‘National Incident Dataset’? The National Incident Dataset is a repository of de-identified data used by the research team to analyse incidents, contributory factors and participation data from a national perspective to inform the industry and support system-level changes.
How much does it cost to use the GigReports app? The GigReports app is free to download and use.
Can I delete the GigReports app? Yes, you can delete the GigReports app from your mobile phone. However, deleting the GigReports app from your mobile phone will not mean that your GigReports account is deleted.
Can I delete the account I created in the GigReports app? Yes, you can delete the account you created in the GigReports app by clicking on the ‘Settings’ tab and then on the ‘Delete Account’ button.
If you wish to withdraw already submitted data (including your account details, demographic data and incident reports), you can email the Chief Investigator (gread@usc.edu.au) who will arrange deletion of all information linked to your account from the host server. Please be aware that data submitted to the National Incident Dataset that has been de-identified and / or aggregated for analysis may not be able to be withdrawn.
What kind of smartphone do I need to use the GigReports app? The GigReports app can be used on Apple (operating system 10.0 and above) or Android (operating system 12.0 and above) phones.
Can I upload photos of the incidents that occur while gig working? Yes, you can upload up to three photos of incidents that occur while gig working on to the GigReports app.
How can I provide feedback on the GigReports app? You can provide feedback and suggestions for the app by emailing the research team at
gigreports@usc.edu.au and/or rating the app on the Apple or Google Play store.
What happens if I do not activate my location services? You will be able to use the GigReports app without the location services activated. To do so, when reporting an incident you will be required to type an address for the location of the incident into the relevant text box.
What happens if I do not agree to provide consent or agree to the Terms of Use and End User Licence Agreement? If you do not agree to provide consent or agree to the
Terms of Use and End User Licence agreement, you will not be eligible to use the GigReports app.
Do I need to enter the kilometres travelled for gig work into the GigReports app? The GigReports app calculates incident rates based on the total number of kilometres travelled for gig work across all GigReports users. To enable the calculation of accurate incident rates, all users are required to enter the total number of kilometres they travelled for gig work each week via the ‘Kms travelled’ tab at the bottom of the home screen. Weekly reports of kilometres travelled for gig work are required from all users regardless of whether they have been involved in any incidents or not.
Can I use the GigReports app to report other incidents that occur when I am not gig working? No, the GigReports app should only be used to report incidents that occur when gig working.
