harrymortimer wrote:Have any studies or research been done on the risks/strains on the body of using a trolley versus carrying a reasonably weighted pouch? Very much doubt it, wouldn't suit Royal mails agenda, but I know my back hurts more after using a trolley.
I have a mate who is the head of H&S at a very large company. I asked him for an independent, unbiased viewpoint on this. He said a) A trolley is probably an excellent bit of kit to use on the occasions where the load you are carrying warrants it i.e a load that is beyond your own
personal weight carrying threshold b) Prolonged use of the trolley continually i.e even when it is not
really required, will eventually cause a whole heap of new conditions such as RSIs impacting wrists, shoulders etc and lower back pain brought on by twisting and finally, c) Trollies like this are designed to be
pushed, not pulled. The reason we are being told they are primarily to be pulled is because a lot of the terrain we operate on makes pushing the trolley a hazard in itself i.e wheels jamming on kerbs etc. Who would design a trolley that is to be operated in such a way that it cannot be seen by the person using it?
This, however, is the key point. I asked him outright if continually using a trolley, whether the load warrants it or not, causes more H&S issues than it solves. His answer? Without a doubt. He says it's extraordinary that Royal Mail are doing this and he can see no point in it whatsoever. Making them mandatory for overweight loops, yes, he understands that, that's common sense BUT all the time? He reckons it's absolute madness and there must be some kind of agenda but he couldn't think for the life of him what the hell it could be. He did laugh a lot though. Said it was the funniest thing he'd heard in ages.