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• EVERYBODY OR NOBODY’S DARLING?
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• BACK to Basics

BACK to Basics

Drivers who complete more than 25,000 business miles per year are the subject of a major academic study that is trying to establish the scientific link between lower back pain and the modern phenomenon of absenteeism caused by using cars as mobile offices.

The study from the University of Loughborough is sponsored by the BUPA Foundation with support from Masterlease which provided the names of hundreds of fleet drivers who volunteered to participate in the three year study which is scheduled to report its final conclusions at the end of May this year.

Over the last two and a half years, authors of the Participatory Ergonomics study Professor Diane Gyi and Dr Kate Sang from the University’s Department of Human Sciences sampled four large organisations representing a cross section of British business drivers.

The objective of the study is to reduce Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) outlined in a previous study by Professor Gyi which revealed that 65 per cent of business drivers reported lower back trouble, 43 per cent complained of neck trouble and 40 per cent suffered with shoulder problems. The respondents have reported initial symptoms back to the researchers and tailored behaviour changes have been recommended for them to follow. The report at the end of May will measure any improvements in pain as a result of the changes.

In the meantime the University has created a new website www.drivingergonomics.com for all business drivers which is aimed at reducing MSDs through helpful driving tips and advice.

Such tips include regular breaks, changing driving position and not lifting too many items at once such as laptops, projectors or heavy product samples.

“We have had an excellent feedback to this study with some companies providing us with response rates of up to 68 per cent.  In helping us to achieve this, companies such as Masterlease have been extremely accommodating,” says Dr Katherine Sang, Post Doctoral Research Associate.

“We will publish the findings at the end of May, but in the meantime drivers wanting to learn more about correct posture or the lifting of heavy equipment from their cars should visit the website www.drivingergonomics.com.”

Peter Tatlock, managing director of Masterlease, says: “This is such an important area of research because it goes to the heart of risk and HR issues, both of which are key to the increasing workload of fleet managers. It is important that drivers who fit into the criteria of the study look at website especially if they have experienced any discomfort as a result of driving long distances. We look forward to seeing the final findings of the study, but drivers can do more now to make their working lives better and avoid unnecessary illness and avoidable absenteeism.”

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