Date of incident: September 2022
Notice of incident number: 2022175380034
Employer: Food delivery company

Incident summary
A food delivery courier was making a delivery when an unknown person attempted to steal his bicycle. The worker pulled the bicycle back and began to lock it up after the person walked away. The person returned, stabbed the worker with a knife, and was arrested by police a short time later. The worker sustained serious injuries.

Investigation conclusions

Cause

• Worker randomly attacked while delivering food. The worker was subjected to a random act of violence by an unknown person while completing a food delivery.

Contributing factors

• Lack of occupational health and safety system of compliance, instruction, training, and supervision. The worker did not meet all of WorkSafeBC’s criteria for independent operators because he used a bicycle (instead of a motor vehicle) for making deliveries, so he is considered to have been employed by the food delivery company. The employer did not have a system of compliance with the Workers Compensation Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation for food delivery couriers. Without a system of compliance, the employer did not provide instruction, training, and supervision of workers as required, including safe work procedures, risk assessments, and safety meetings. As a result, unsafe conditions developed, including working in a high-risk area, violence in the workplace, and working alone.

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