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

Abstract

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.

Keywords:

• Chinese food delivery riders
• occupational injuries
• workloads
• work pressure
• self-control theory

JEL Codes:

• J22
• J28
• J46

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 Source: Declassified arbitration agreement provided by Beijing H District Arbitration Court.

2 Digital Taylorism refers to the management and control of workers through algorithms and digital technology.

3 ‘Hukou’ signifies a worker’s residency registration status in China, which imposes restrictions on migrant workers with regard to searching for and obtaining employment.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by ‘Special Funds Funded by Capital University of Economics and Business for the Fundamental Research Business Expenses of Beijing-affiliated Universities’ [Grant Number XRZ2022058].