Commentary: Pressures of platform work in Singapore push drivers and riders to take risks

Platform workers operate in an environment shaped, in part, by the expectations of the people they serve, says SUSS’ Victor Seah.

Food delivery riders in Singapore. (File photo: CNA/Calvin Oh)

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Victor Seah 28 Sep 2026 06:00AM Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST SINGAPORE: Construction, manufacturing, platform work, or transportation and storage: Which is the most dangerous work in Singapore?

Many might guess construction, the sector many might associate with workplace accidents and fatalities. But the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) workplace safety and health data for the first half of 2026 gives a different answer. 

It is platform work, by a long shot.

The fatal and major injury rate for platform workers stood at 92.1 per 100,000 workers in the first half of 2026, compared with 24.1 for construction, 28.4 for manufacturing, and 19.8 for transportation and storage. In other words, the rate for platform workers was approximately 3.8 times that of construction workers.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less Of the nine fatal workplace incidents attributed to vehicular causes, four involved platform workers: three delivery workers and one ride-hailing driver.

These numbers deserve attention when Singapore’s pool of platform workers is growing. The risks that come with the job are now impossible to ignore.