“You are on notice”: NSW pulls up food delivery firms on poorly trained riders

Food delivery companies have been put on notice and one has been hit with a five-figure fine after failing to properly train its riders.

NSW Work Health and Safety Minister Sophie Cotsis says Canadian company Fantuan was fined $13,600 and issued with multiple improvement notices related to inadequate or incomplete induction training and record-keeping failures.

The training concerned hazard and fatigue management, road safety, the use of PPE, and work health and safety duties and obligations.

The service, which targets the Asian food sector, began operating in Sydney and Melbourne in March 2022 and has since expanded to Adelaide and Brisbane.

It was pulled up after SafeWork NSW inspectors assessed Fantuan’s compliance with the state’s work health and safety regulations, which mandate high-vis clothing and training for food delivery riders.

Failure to comply with any future improvement notice could result in a penalty of up to $332,611 for the corporation.

Two food delivery riders have died in NSW in 2023, taking deaths since 2018 to eight.

“We have put the onus on food delivery platforms to ensure the riders they engage are trained properly and have systems in place that ensure riders are trained and this is recorded,” Cotsis said in a statement on Sunday.

“Safework inspectors in NSW are meeting with other food delivery platforms and more fines and penalties will be coming for platforms who can’t demonstrate that they’ve met these requirements.

“This is a message to other food delivery companies who don’t follow the rules, you are on notice.”

It comes ahead of the return this week of NSW parliament where the Minns Labor government wants to pass legislation increasing fines for non-compliance with work health and safety regulations.

If passed, food delivery services will be liable for fines of up to $42,000 for allowing a rider to deliver food or drink before they have completed food delivery induction training.

This article was first published by AAP.