Close to one in five self-employed workers, specifically 17%, has suffered some health problem directly linked to their professional activity. This data, from the Observatory of Self-Employment of the Union of Associations of Self-Employed Workers and Entrepreneurs (Uatae), which has collected information from 800 self-employed individuals, highlights the presence of "real risks" in the daily performance of numerous trades.
The report also notes that, among those who have experienced some health disorder, 42% have not processed or reported it through official channels, which, in Uatae's opinion, evidences a "significant underreporting".
At the same time, 52% of self-employed workers express interest in accessing more training or specific tools adapted to their sector, which, according to the study, represents an opportunity to strengthen and reorient public policies in prevention and occupational health.
"When a self-employed person does not report a health problem, many times it is not because they don't want to, but because the system does not protect them enough," highlighted the general secretary of Uatae, María José Landaburu, when assessing the observatory's results.
Along these lines, Landaburu has stressed that self-employed workers "need a model that guarantees security, rights, and real support."
Faced with this scenario, Uatae once again highlights the "need" to adjust risk prevention systems to the particularities of self-employment, introducing "specific measures" that contemplate the plurality of existing sectors and casuistries.
Among the proposals put forward by the organization are the simplification of bureaucracy associated with contingency management, the strengthening of economic protection during sick leave, and the implementation of awareness campaigns that promote a preventive culture without economically punishing those who resort to it.