Dubbo Business Chamber backing those who want safer work conditions.

Every staff in the retail and hospitality businesses, particularly new and young employees, deserves to be safe and to feel protected in their workplaces, chamber president Errin Williamson said.

"Everyone deserves to feel safe and protected at work especially fast food and hospitality workers who are statistically younger people just starting out in the workforce," Ms Williamson said.

"Protecting them from verbal or physical abuse and having actual prosecution of customers who abuse them while at work is a great step in the right direction."

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Local employers have been discussing their staff complaints, citing feeling unsafe at work as among reasons many are leaving for other jobs, Ms Williamson said.

"It has become more of an issue for fast food and hospitality workers and this is something that we do talk about in recent years."

While most workplaces in the hospitality and retail industry are relatively safe, fast food shop owner Kevin Vach, of Hanoi Corner, on Macquarie Street said he was often surprised when an employee abruptly resigns.

"They don't say why, so I am not sure why they go, but they just go so I am looking for someone most of the time," Mr Vach said.

'It's hard to find people when they go, now I am looking for another one to help me. It's an easy job, take the order and serve the customer."

Mr Wang's Kitchen's casual staff, Kevin Zhu, said the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association's (SDA) proposal to include them in the current legislation "would help" businesses that have experienced customers verbally or physically abusing their staff.

'There are still some drunken guy coming to do that or some guys walking around and want to do something bad, but only few people," Mr Zhu said.

Last December, the SDA called for a commitment from the Coalition and Labor to introduce stronger penalties for abusive customers.

An Essential Research survey for SDA has revealed 85 per cent of shop workers have been verbally and physically abused by customers while on the job and lack of deterrent measures often led to serious cases assault cases.

"It is important for decision makers to send a clear signal that this behaviour will not be tolerated," SDA secretary Bernie Smith said.

"No worker should ever have to worry about abuse on the job. This is about basic dignity and safety on the job."

The survey also showed 72 per cent of residents in NSW are not aware essential workers such as doctors, paramedics, nurses, and police are covered by the legislation but not fast food and shop assistants who are also essential workers, Mr Smith said.

For customers like Andrew Hinton, respect must go both ways.

Mr Hinton, from Wellington, was at Dubbo earlier this week taking his son Alex to the movies and then to Mr Wang Kitchen on Macquarie St for his birthday.

"I've had disrespectful staff speak to me [in a rude manner] when I get offended about a particular way they serve, that's why I feel respect is a two-way street," he said of his experience at hospitality venues.

"Give respect for the respect you're given, everybody's got a job and everybody deserves respect."

The NSW legislation passed last October makes it an offense with heavy penalties of up to 14 years in jail for worst offenders and up to a $2,200 fine to assault or do violent acts on essential workers such as firefighters, paramedics, hospital medical staff, emergency workers, surf lifesavers, and marine rescue workers.