Working safety and workloads of Chinese delivery riders: the role of work pressure

Using a sample of 9133 food delivery riders from T, a Chinese food delivery platform, this study applies a binary probit model to analyse influences of food delivery riders' workloads on the incidence of occupational injuries using self-control theory. We have found that food delivery riders' quantity of weekly orders delivered has an inverted U-shaped correlation with occupational injuries and those who rely heavily on platform income have a lower risk of injuries than those who rely less on platform income. After handling the problems of endogenous and missing variables through an instrumental variable method and robustness test, the conclusion is still robust. Moreover, work pressure is a mediator for workload influence on occupational injuries, but the platform safety training is not a boundary condition, for possible lacking in contents of workload control. Individuals with the experience of occupational injuries are less willing to continue working as food delivery riders.

Automated summary

This study analyzes the influence of workloads on the incidence of occupational injuries among food delivery riders, using a binary probit model and self-control theory. The research findings reveal an inverted U-shaped correlation between the quantity of weekly orders delivered and occupational injuries, with individuals heavily relying on platform income having a lower risk of injuries. The conclusions remain robust even after addressing endogenous and missing variable issues through instrumental variable methods and robustness tests. Work pressure acts as a mediator for the influence of workload on occupational injuries, while platform safety training does not serve as a boundary condition, possibly due to insufficient content on workload control. Individuals who have experienced occupational injuries are less willing to continue working as food delivery riders.