A file photo for illustrative purposes. [Getty Images Bank]
A file photo for illustrative purposes. [Getty Images Bank]

Workplace injuries among delivery workers have nearly tripled over the past five years as competition in same-day and dawn delivery services intensifies.

Rushed deliveries, long working hours and the threat of contract termination tied to performance metrics are combining to put workers' safety at serious risk, analysts say.

Data submitted to Rep. Kim Wi-sang of the People Power Party — a member of the National Assembly's Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee — by the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service show approved workplace injury cases in the delivery sector reached 1,516 last year, roughly 2.7 times the 561 cases recorded in 2021. The upward trend shows no sign of slowing: 692 cases had already been approved through May this year.

Of the cases approved last year, accidents accounted for 1,341, or 88.5% of the total, followed by occupational diseases at 103 cases (6.8%) and commuting injuries at 72 cases (4.7%).

Among disease-related cases, musculoskeletal disorders were the most common at 87, while 13 cardiovascular and cerebrovascular cases were also recognized. Repetitive loading and unloading work and heavy lifting were identified as the primary drivers of musculoskeletal conditions, while long hours of high-intensity labor contributed to overwork-related illnesses.

Fatal workplace injuries continue unabated. Seven delivery workers have been recognized as workplace fatalities so far this year. Annual figures show 10 deaths in 2021, 11 in 2022, 11 in 2023 and 9 in 2024, before rising sharply again to 14 last year.

Industry observers point to same-day, dawn and seven-days-a-week delivery services as key factors driving up labor intensity. The growing volume of nighttime and late-night deliveries has in particular heightened both accident risk and the burden of overwork, they say.

A practice known as the "cleansing system" — under which delivery companies can reclaim a worker's zone or terminate a contract mid-term if performance metrics such as delivery rates or fresh-bag return rates fall below set thresholds — is also cited as a factor pushing workers into reckless delivery practices.

Yet regulatory reform has been slow to materialize. Social dialogue on the delivery sector, led by the Democratic Party of Korea, has included discussions on capping nighttime delivery working hours at 46 per week, but disagreements with delivery companies have delayed any agreement.

Talks on introducing a minimum pay guarantee for gig and platform workers — including delivery riders and parcel couriers — have also made little headway. The Ministry of Employment and Labor's proposed Workplace Basic Act and a worker presumption rule have similarly stalled in the legislative process.

"The sharp rise in delivery sector workplace fatalities last year means existing measures have not adequately addressed the structural problems on the ground," Kim said. "The government needs to go beyond a regulation-centered approach and put in place prevention measures that actually work."


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