Research commissioned by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in the UK has found that a third of van drivers have injured themselves at least once while loading their vans in the past year, costing businesses billions of pounds annually.
Almost half (48 per cent ) of those who reported an injury were forced to take more than one day off, with an average downtime cost of £500 per person per day.
On top of this, one in three (34 per cent ) drivers reported taking more than a week off due to an injury caused specifically by loading or unloading their vans, with an average absence of five working days in a single period. This comes despite 83 per cent of drivers stating they knew how to safely load their vehicles.
With a total of 4.6 million vehicles,loading-related injuries are currently costing UK businesses as much as £3.7 billion per year, according to the study.
To help businesses and drivers, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, and Catherine Quinn, president of the British Chiropractic Association (BCA ), have published a list of top tips to help operators safely load and unload a vehicle.
• Before going to lift anything, think about how you have prepared your most important tool for the day, your body. Take five minutes to warm up your body using simple stretches and full body movements like floor-to-ceiling touches.
• When assessing the object you are about to lift, make sure you are dividing the load up into manageable chunks, rather than trying to do it all at once. If an object is an awkward shape or size, consider asking a colleague for help.
• Much like advice in the gym, ensure to engage your legs when lifting anything. There is a great deal of strength in legs and buttocks, so use them to drive up from a squat or lunge position to best protect your body.
• If suffering with back pain, try to avoid lifting and twisting with a heavy item. Instead aim to lift the item, and then use your legs to turn, rather than twisting through the spine.
