A Legal Inquiry Into Environmental Safety Of Food Delivery Workers In Tamil Nadu
- IJLLR Journal
- Dec 18, 2025
- 2 min read
Ms. G. Jaya Sheela, Research Scholar, Assistant Professor, Govt Law College, Tiruchirappalli
Dr. S. Murugesan, Research Supervisor, Professor, Principal, Govt Law College, Karaikudi.
ABSTRACT
The rapid expansion of food delivery platforms in Tamil Nadu has created a new class of urban workers whose workplaces are not confined within four walls but extend to the streets, exposing them to significant environmental and climatic risks. This study undertakes a legal inquiry into the environmental safety of food delivery workers, focusing on how extreme weather, air pollution, and urban infrastructure deficiencies affect their health, dignity, and livelihood. Continuous exposure to heat stress, heavy rainfall, vehicular emissions, and unsafe road conditions has resulted in rising incidents of fatigue, respiratory disorders, and traffic-related injuries. Despite these occupational hazards, current labour laws and platform policies seldom address the environmental dimensions of workplace safety.
Drawing on the principles of labour jurisprudence and the right to a safe working environment under Articles 21 and 42 of the Constitution of India, this paper critically examines the adequacy of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, and other allied legislations in safeguarding gig and platform workers. The research highlights the urgent need to extend statutory protections and enforce environmental safeguards within the gig economy framework.
By integrating environmental justice into labour jurisprudence, the study argues for a re-conceptualisation of occupational safety that recognises the vulnerability of outdoor platform workers in a changing climate. Ultimately, this inquiry argues that ensuring environmental safety for food delivery workers is essential to achieving both decent work and climate justice in India’s rapidly evolving platform economy. Strengthening labour jurisprudence through climate-sensitive legal reform is thus imperative to protect the dignity, health, and sustainability of this emerging workforce.
Keywords: Food delivery workers, Environmental Safety, Occupational Safety, Labour Jurisprudence, Right to Dignity
