When it comes to health and wellness, there is no shortage of data and literature for beverage-makers to consider when formulating new products. However, wellness is not reserved only for packaged products in the beverage market. Ensuring wellness for warehouse and distribution personnel also is front-of-mind for many, and equipment suppliers are making sure they address that need.
“We continue to see desire for safe, ergonomic hand trucks,” says Andrea Horner, vice president of marketing for Magline Inc., Standish, Mich. “One of the biggest considerations [that] remains [is] weight. Most injuries don’t happen from one-time occurrences; they happen from repetitive movements over time, like lifting a hand truck on and off of a truck multiple times per day. Empirical evidence tells us that once a driver sustains a job-related back injury, the chance of reoccurrence within a two-year time period is 50 percent.”