Work Injury Insurance for Food Delivery Riders
Ministry of ManpowerSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the provision of work injury insurance for food delivery riders using personal mobility devices, as raised by Mr Desmond Choo. Minister for Manpower Mrs Josephine Teo clarified that while companies must insure employed riders under the Work Injury Compensation Act, they are not legally required to cover self-employed riders. To address this, the Workplace Safety and Health Council encourages voluntary personal accident insurance, which major operators already provide, alongside safety initiatives with the Land Transport Authority. The Ministry also focuses on accident prevention through public campaigns and safe riding guides for all delivery personnel. Updated guidelines will soon highlight insurance coverage as a best practice and detail how self-employed riders can claim against third-party motor insurance.
Transcript
60 Mr Desmond Choo asked the Minister for Manpower how is the Ministry working with the food delivery companies to ensure that their food delivery riders using PMDs are provided with work injury insurance.
Mrs Josephine Teo: The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) works with food delivery companies on measures to prevent accidents and injuries in the first place. MOM and the Workplace Safety and Health Council (WSHC) have partnered with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Traffic Police on initiatives to inculcate safe riding practices among delivery riders. These initiatives include running the annual Singapore Ride Safe campaign and publishing a guide on safe riding.
Food delivery companies are required to purchase work injury compensation insurance for their employed delivery riders. These riders are eligible for compensation under the Work Injury Compensation Act if they are injured at work. Companies have control over their employees' work arrangements and are therefore responsible for compensation if their employees are injured in the course of work.
For self-employed delivery riders, they may choose their own work arrangements such as driving their own vehicles and managing their own working hours. In addition, they can work for multiple delivery companies. In this regard, companies do not have full control over the SEP work arrangements and are thus not required to purchase work injury compensation insurance for them.
Nonetheless, WSHC has engaged food delivery companies to encourage them to provide personal accident insurance for all their delivery riders, including those who are self-employed. Several major operators like Deliveroo and GrabFood already do.
WSHC will publish an updated guide on safe riding later this year that will include insurance coverage for riders as a good industry practice. It will highlight that a self-employed rider hurt in an accident caused by another vehicle can also claim against the vehicle owner's motor insurance.