This month the British Safety Councils awareness theme is on lifting and how to reduce the risk of injury and as we offer a range of hand trucks as part of our portfolio we decided to ask our technical team for some information that we could pass onto our customers.

This is what they came up with.

A hand truck which is also known as a sack truck or sack barrow is a very useful piece of equipment which can be used to solve a wide variety of application issues.

In essence, a hand truck acts as a first class lever, whereby the pivot (the axle rod in this case) is located between the mechanical force applied by the user at one end and the output load to be transported on the toe plate. Although the principle of using a lever to move a load is not new, the designs and the materials used to make such a lever are.

These days, there are many different permutations of hand truck available on the market covering a wide variety of applications. The use of strong yet lightweight materials such as aluminium or magnesium are a major improvement i.e. there is little benefit to be derived from a health and safety perspective if the hand truck is too heavy for safe handling or consideration has not been given to the subject of ergonomics on behalf of the user.

One such manufacturer offers a modular aluminium and magnesium system which allows the user to choose a wide variety of permutations to suit most applications and these are very strong, durable and lighter in weight than their traditional counterparts. These trucks are recognised and recommended by many health and safety advisors to large and small companies alike. Essentially this first class lever is also a first class tool which has been designed with the health and safety of the user in mind.

Therefore, if your organisation is asking staff to move heavy loads (this could range from the office paper delivery to very substantial loads) then the most practical, safe and cost effective method is to provide mechanical assistance.

So don’t be a wally, give us a call on 01249 822 222 and let us demonstrate to you the unit that is right for your business.