Online Platform Work and Work Environment Law: A Scandinavian Legal Perspective

Abstract

This article addresses a specific work environment law aspect of online platform work, namely the question of whether the Scandinavian work environmental laws in their current form are suitable for protecting platform workers from health and safety risks. In considering this question, the laws of the three Scandinavian countries – Denmark, Sweden and Norway – are singled out for comparison. The article argues that the uncertain legal status of online platform workers has a potentially detrimental impact on their work environment rights. At the moment, there is no legal instrument in the Scandinavian countries directed solely at online platform work and the work environment. However, case law arising from specific scenarios demonstrates a definite need for work environment protection for online platform workers. For these workers, although their work may in some cases involve personal risk, they lack the express legal protections available to the self-employed. In such cases, it is unclear whether the Scandinavian laws on work environment are sufficiently equipped to handle online platform work if limited only to existing or default legislation.

Keywords

• online platform
• work environment
• health and safety at work
• legal status for gig workers