ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Occupational Health and Safety
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1603087
The association between workloads and health hazard among delivery riders in China
Provisionally accepted
- Capital University of Economics and Business, Beijing, China
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Introduction: Drawing on the extended job demands-resources model, this study aims to identify the primary occupational health risks affecting delivery riders and explore mechanisms between workload and illness.Methods: A respondent-driven sampling method was employed to minimize data bias. A total of 1,092 riders in Beijing, Shanghai, and Jinan participated in the survey. Logit regression analysis was conducted to assess the associations and mechanisms were also analyzed.Results: A significant positive relationship was observed between the number of daily deliveries and daily working hours with reported illness. This association was more significant among riders who are primary family breadwinners or who work part-time. Conclusion: Excessive workload negatively affects the health of delivery riders. Overwork may heighten riders’ risk perception, which can ultimately lead to illness. However, this relationship can be mitigated if delivery platforms implementing measures to reduce work-related pressure. A key practical implication of this study is the urgent need for platform companies to assume greater responsibility in labor protection, particularly in curbing the tendency toward overwork.
Keywords: Delivery riders, Occupational Health, job demands, Risk Management, gig workers
Received: 31 Mar 2025; Accepted: 06 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Mao, Tian and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ailin Mao, Capital University of Economics and Business, Beijing, China
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