You pull up to an apartment block. No lift. Third floor. The customer has ordered three boxes of tiles weighing 25kg each. Or you're at a business park and the customer wants you to carry 15 parcels from the van, across a car park, through a warehouse, and up to their office on the mezzanine level. They're expecting you to do it — and you're standing there wondering if this is actually your job. The answer depends on your employment status, your company's policy, and the specific delivery terms.
What You're Actually Required to Do
Most courier contracts and delivery terms specify delivery to the "ground floor" or "front door" of the delivery address. This means you deliver to the building entrance, reception, or front door — not to a specific room, floor, or desk inside the building. Unless the service specifically includes inside delivery (which is usually a premium service), you're within your rights to deliver to the accessible ground-level point.
That said, customer service matters. If it's a single light parcel and the customer asks you to bring it up one flight of stairs, most drivers will do it. It builds goodwill, avoids complaints, and takes 30 seconds. But multiple heavy boxes up multiple flights? That's a different conversation.
Insurance Implications
If You're an Employee
Employed drivers are covered by workers' compensation for injuries sustained during work duties. If your employer requires you to carry parcels inside buildings, they must ensure the task is safe — which means reasonable weights, access to trolleys or lifts, and no requirement to do anything that poses an unacceptable injury risk. If you're injured carrying heavy items up stairs because your employer required it, you're covered by workers' comp.
If You're a Contractor
Independent contractors don't have workers' compensation by default. You're responsible for your own income protection and injury insurance. According to Fair Work Australia independent contractor obligations, contractors are responsible for their own insurance arrangements. If you injure yourself carrying 75kg of tiles up three flights of stairs, you're relying on your own personal insurance — if you have any — to cover lost income and medical costs.
This is why contractors need to be especially careful about taking on tasks that exceed normal delivery expectations. An injury that puts an employee on workers' comp and light duties for a month can put a contractor out of work entirely with no income.
Practical Solutions
Use a trolley. If you're regularly delivering to multi-level buildings, a hand trolley or sack truck is essential. It doesn't solve the stairs problem, but it handles the horizontal distance.
Ask for help. If the customer wants heavy items brought inside or upstairs, it's reasonable to ask them to help. Most people will. A team lift is safer for everyone.
Know your limits. If a delivery task is unsafe — too heavy, too far, too many stairs with no lift — you can refuse. Explain politely that the delivery terms specify ground floor delivery, and offer to leave the items at the accessible point. Document the conversation.
Check the consignment. Some deliveries are booked as "door to door" or "inside delivery" which includes carrying to a specific location. If the service level includes it, it's part of the job. If it doesn't, it's a courtesy, not an obligation.