Photo/Illutration A delivery man for Amazon.com Inc. holds a package. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

In a possible first-of-its-kind ruling, authorities recognized a freelance driver working for Amazon.com Inc. as eligible for workers' compensation after sustaining a work-related injury.

The man and his lawyer reported the ruling at a news conference on Oct. 4. The 65-year-old driver fractured his hip while making a delivery in September last year. 

It is believed to be the first time that a driver handling Amazon deliveries as a freelancer has been recognized as eligible for workers’ compensation.

Although the 65-year-old man works as a freelancer contracted with a subcontracted delivery company, he was judged equivalent to a worker employed by the delivery company, given his actual work duties and other factors.

According to his lawyer, the Yokosuka Labor Standards Inspection Office announced the decision on Sept. 26.

While freelancers can work at their own discretion, they are not treated as “workers” who are protected by labor laws.

So, in principle, they are not eligible for workers’ compensation for job-related accidents, which covers medical expenses for injuries and lost wages during temporary absences from work.

The man has a business contract with a company that delivers Amazon packages.

In September last year, while delivering a package, he slipped and fell from the second floor of an outside staircase at a home and sustained a severe hip fracture.

According to the man, it was around 8 p.m. and the area around the stairs was dark and slippery from drizzling rain.

The man said that his delivery destinations and working hours were managed through Amazon’s smartphone app and that he was working under the direction of Amazon and the delivery company.

He said he applied for workers’ compensation with the labor standards office in December.

The labor standards office has been examining whether the man’s work style essentially constitutes that of a worker.

With the growth of online shopping leading to an increase in delivery packages, more companies in the logistics industry are outsourcing tasks to freelance drivers.

Under such circumstances, Amazon has been tightening its management of workers and deliveries through its app.

The latest decision by the labor standards office could lead to the protection of similar workers and may influence the work styles of freelancers.

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