Food delivery rider safety reforms have been made law in NSW. 

New laws coming into effect this week are aimed at ensuring riders are supplied with high-visibility personal protective equipment by food delivery platforms.

“From today, food delivery booking providers must supply their delivery riders with high-visibility personal protective equipment, including a retroreflective outer clothing item and a bag or container for safely transporting food or drink that comply with the relevant Australian Standard,” says NSW Minister for Fair Trading, Eleni Petinos. 

“These reforms are ultimately about keeping riders, who are among some of our most at risk road users, safer on our roads.

“While there has been a decline in rider incidents in the past 12 months, there is still a need for stronger sanctions to prevent incidents from occurring.

“Our work in this area is making a difference and we will not be taking our foot off the pedal anytime soon. In March 2021, 21 delivery rider incidents were reported, dropping to 11 incidents in March 2022 despite traffic on our roads increasing with COVID-19 restrictions easing

“We now have the strongest safety environment for food delivery platforms and riders anywhere in the world and will continue to work with industry to ensure a culture where safety comes first,” Ms Petinos says. 

SafeWork NSW will apply an educational approach to compliance until November 2022 in relation to bags and containers that focuses on ensuring businesses and workers are aware of the new requirement.

On-the-spot penalties of $3,600 will apply to platforms who cannot demonstrate that they have met the requirements for each rider. 

More details are accessible here.