General information, not legal advice, and about New South Wales only. The official places to check are SafeWork NSW’s food delivery industry page and the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 on the NSW legislation website.
whereThe rules sit in Part 4.10
The rider rules are Part 4.10, “Food delivery riders”, sections 184M to 184S of the NSW Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025, which the Regulation marks as NSW provisions. This guide reads the version in force from 3 July 2026. The 2025 Regulation “repeals and replaces the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017”.
whoWho is a rider, and who is a platform
Section 184M defines the people the Part applies to:
- A food delivery booking provider is “a person carrying on a business primarily to provide an online platform to enable the person to engage food delivery riders to deliver food or drink to users of the online platform.”
- A food delivery rider is an individual engaged by such a provider to deliver food or drink, “who delivers the food or drink using a bicycle, motor bike or electric scooter.”
A car is not on that list. SafeWork NSW describes the wider food delivery industry as including workers who use a car, but the duties in Part 4.10 attach to riders as the Regulation defines them.
the dutiesWho must do what
Maximum penalties in the Regulation are in NSW penalty units. The penalty notice amounts below are those Schedule 18A of the in-force version sets.
| Duty | Section | Maximum penalty | Penalty notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform must not direct or allow a rider to work until the rider has completed induction training | 184N | 73 / 364 units | $900 / $4,500 |
| Platform must ensure induction training is provided, unless the rider has completed another platform’s | 184O(1) | 73 / 364 units | $900 / $4,500 |
| Platform must supply high-vis gear, unless the rider can use gear another platform supplied | 184P | 73 / 364 units | $900 / $4,500 |
| Platform must keep training and gear records, and give a copy to the regulator within 5 days of a written request | 184Q | 15 / 75 units | $200 / $900 |
| Platform must give the rider a training verification record | 184S(1) | 73 / 364 units | $900 / $4,500 |
| Rider must use or wear the high-vis gear while doing food delivery work | 184R | 15 units | $200 |
| Rider must make the training verification record available to an inspector or police officer | 184S(2) | 15 units | $200 |
For the two rider offences, a police officer is an authorised officer for issuing penalty notices (Schedule 18A, cl 1(3)).
the detailWhat the training, gear and records hold
Induction training
It is a course provided by the platform that includes training in “hazard and fatigue management”, “general road safety”, “the selection, fit, use, wearing, testing, storage and maintenance of high-vis personal protective equipment”, and the work health and safety duties of riders and platforms (s 184M).
High-vis gear
It includes a retroreflective outer clothing item complying with AS/NZS 4602.1:2011, and a bag or container for carrying food or drink made of material complying with AS/NZS 1906.4:2023 (s 184M).
The training verification record
It holds the rider’s name, address, date of birth and photograph, the date they completed the induction training, and the date they received the gear (s 184M). SafeWork NSW says it “can be in any format that the platform chooses (i.e., physical card, digital page, email, in-app feature)”.
The platform’s records
For training: the person’s name, the date it was provided, its content, and the date they successfully completed it. For gear: the rider’s name, the date it was given and a description of it. Each record is kept “for at least 5 years from the later of” the training completion date and the date the gear was given (s 184Q).
two differencesWhere the SafeWork page and the Regulation differ
SafeWork NSW’s food delivery page, read on 9 October 2026, still links the 2022 amending regulation and gives a different figure for a rider’s on-the-spot fine; its training section says it is “recommended” that training records are kept, though its record keeping section says platforms must keep them. The Regulation in force sets the rider’s penalty notice at $200 in Schedule 18A and requires the training records in s 184Q(1). Where the two differ, this guide follows the Regulation.
at homeCharging an e-bike
Food delivery workers use a range of transport, e-bikes among them. SafeWork NSW’s page lists five steps under “Charge your e-bike safely”:
- “charge e-bikes while you’re home and don’t charge e-bikes while you sleep”
- “charge batteries on hard surfaces like concrete floors or tiles”
- “install working smoke alarms in rooms where you charge or store your e-bike”
- “always use the charger that came with the e-bike”
- “do not charge your e-bike in or near your bedroom or living room.”
Which e-bikes are legal on NSW roads is in the road rules guide.