who's coping with trolleys?

[emmaa_uk]

I had a bit of a chat yesterday with my manager and explained to him the difficulties I am having with the trolley I am using, telling him I strained my back in pushing it up a hill and he would not note it in accident book. It has also brought on a skin complaint for which i am receiving medication for not to mention me being under weight from all the walking, I am really worried now, he says he can refer me to some health and safety company so they can assess what i can and cant do.
what are my options, should I try and get signed off?
please advise

[clashcityrocker]

If you have sustained an injury seek medical advice. If continuing to work is going to aggravate the condition then you either need to go sick or agree a suitable rehab programme.
If you are underweight - eat more.

The "health and safety company" is ATOS .

[IloveMYredTROLLEY!]

I had a bit of a chat yesterday with my manager and explained to him the difficulties I am having with the trolley I am using, telling him I strained my back in pushing it up a hill and he would not note it in accident book. It has also brought on a skin complaint for which i am receiving medication for not to mention me being under weight from all the walking, I am really worried now, he says he can refer me to some health and safety company so they can assess what i can and cant do.
what are my options, should I try and get signed off?
please advise

Are we talking LWTs or HCTs here? I don't know the exact gradient, but I believe a HCT should not be assigned to a walk with hills above a certain gradient.

[blair-jakehead]

If its a LWT surly its easier to pull it up hill. I think the LWT trollies are ok but the problem is RM have tried to use them as a way of trying to saving money and it actualll takes longer and costs more.

[Stormproof]

If a LWT it should be pulled uphill. TBH thats the only time I do pull it. Every other time it gets pushed because I strained my lower back keep twisting round for the handle. I know its meant to be pulled at all times apart from going downhill but I'm sure RM never really spent time researching into possible injuries these things can cause.

[foodforthought]

i use one a LWT, love it and not had any strains etc, though i never push it anywhere you can't see a thing in fornt of you, i find it easier to use when it's heaver as the weight keeps it balanced, don't think i'd go back

[Himaggen]

If you are talking about a HCT which has been identified as the correct delivery method for a route with steep sections then the maximum gross weight must not exceed 77 kg, (internal load 40 kg Mk1 or 30 kg Mk2), for any of those steep sections.

Bear in mind that the above are maximums not targets.

[Lincox]

My concerns with LWTs are already beginning to occur. Two different posters on this thread alone, beginning to suffer with pulls and strains. This is going to be a major problem for Royal Mail.

[foodforthought]

so you reckon it's easier or more beneficial to your back to carry a heavy/awkward bag than it is to pull a trolley?

why do so many golfers use trolleys if it's not ideal?

[Lincox]

If you have read my previous posts you would know that I have never advocated delivering mail with a bag on your back. I believe Royal Mail have been fool hardy in removing cycles from delivery as they are the least damaging in form of stress to the body, remain the quickest means of delivery, and by far the cheapest. As for golf, again if you have read my previous post, I said that the majority of trolleys on golf courses these days are electrically propelled, and even the youngest of golfers are rarely seen with a pull trolley. Why? because pulling or pushing a golf trolley which is not self propelled has been proven to have a large impact on the muscles in the body and therefore an impact on the ability to use the body to it,s most effectiveness in the golf swing.

[slave]

If its a LWT surly its easier to pull it up hill. I think the LWT trollies are ok but the problem is RM have tried to use them as a way of trying to saving money and it actualll takes longer and costs more.

"Surely it's easier" - not used one then? If you've got a hill and a full trolley then from experience I'd say it's easier shouldering (which would not be as heavy a bag as I would have used a pouch box or split it somehow) - although of course it depends on the gradient, how much crap your dragging in the trolley etc.

Always pull mine, perhaps occasionally push but not very often.

It takes a lot longer but that's the way they want it, takes even longer when you've got people parking half on the pavement or it's bin day and there's f***ing wheelie bins scattered all over the bleeding place! In RMs utopia-vision I'm sure they're fantastic, but in the real world it hasn't been thought through properly if you ask me (hence so many failures).

[junior1]

If you have read my previous posts you would know that I have never advocated delivering mail with a bag on your back. I believe Royal Mail have been fool hardy in removing cycles from delivery as they are the least damaging in form of stress to the body, remain the quickest means of delivery, and by far the cheapest. As for golf, again if you have read my previous post, I said that the majority of trolleys on golf courses these days are electrically propelled, and even the youngest of golfers are rarely seen with a pull trolley. Why? because pulling or pushing a golf trolley which is not self propelled has been proven to have a large impact on the muscles in the body and therefore an impact on the ability to use the body to it,s most effectiveness in the golf swing.

Well said there.
Most golf trolleys which aren't electric have 3 wheels so they should be pushed. My physiotherapist told me never pull a trolley as it does put more strain through your body. Not looking forward to when the changes happen in our office.

[fishtank]

Not looking forward to when the changes happen in our office.

1.Before the change in delivery methods only 25% of Royal Mail deliveries were done with a bike,75% were driving or carrying heavy bags.
2.These are not golf trolleys and my walk is not a golf course.
3.No one in my D.O. has had any physical issues with using trolleys and our revision has been in place since November 2010 while some of our members with back and shoulder problems caused by carrying bags have been using trolleys for up to 10 years....and swear by them.

These are all facts not guesswork or what might happen.

[Lincox]

Fish I agree with most of what you say, but not this. How do they differ mechanically to a two wheeled golf trolley? You are still having to bear down on the handle to balance out the weight of the bags, so therefore there must be a strain on one side of the body if you are doing as RM & CWU advocate and that is pulling the trolley. I would say that a golf course unless it is built on the side of a hill, has far fewer obstacles to avoid than you cope with on a daily basis on your walk. The other thing to mention is that most people only play golf once a week, twice if they are lucky. These trolleys are being lugged around five days a week for four or five hours a day. The journey around a golf course is approx 4-5 miles. A walk is around 8-10 miles. Only time will find out the real truth.

[R@YAL F@IL]

At the end of the day what you are doing is called "work" in which you get paid for, if you cannot hack pushing a trolley then I do not know what job will suit you