Prioritizing Health and Safety in Food Delivery Services

In the realm of food production and delivery, whether you're the one delivering or employing delivery drivers, it's crucial to prioritize the well-being of your workers and effectively manage the inherent risks associated with this line of work.

For businesses offering food delivery services, engaging in consultations with riders, drivers, and workers is paramount. Establishing contractual arrangements with contractors and sub-contractors further ensures the embedding and enforcement of safety standards, fostering a safer work environment.

To enhance health and safety for delivery workers within your business, it's essential to address common risks and issues with a worker-centric perspective:

Systems and Work Design:

• Consider the impact of app design on work conduct, including fatigue.
• Address unsafe work systems such as unrealistic delivery deadlines leading to risky driving or riding.
• Evaluate payment incentives that may inadvertently encourage risk-taking behavior.
• Ensure the maintenance of vehicles and equipment, rectifying issues like faulty brakes or flat tires.

On-Road Issues for Riders:

• Provide adequate training and supervision to handle aggressive clients, safety during home deliveries, competent operation of bikes and vehicles, and understanding hazardous manual tasks.
• Mitigate risks associated with unfamiliarity with road rules, unsafe bike or scooter operation, and hazards from interactions with other road users.

Environmental Hazards:

• Navigate risks related to street furniture, pedestrians, animals, challenging terrain, and absence of cycling infrastructure.
• Address weather hazards like heat, rain, hail, wind, icy conditions, and natural disasters.
• Ensure visibility under poor lighting or nighttime riding conditions.
• Tackle slips or trips hazards associated with poorly designed or slippery surfaces.

Psychosocial Hazards:

• Manage the effects of shift work and fatigue on safety.
• Discourage unsafe use of mobile devices or headphones that cause distractions.
• Address incidents of violence, aggression, and harassment from customers and others.

For additional resources and support, refer to:

• Managing the risks in the food delivery industry – Food outlets checklist (link to PDF) 
• WHSQ's Safety Fundamentals toolkit (link to toolkit)