INJURIES caused while loading vans is costing British businesses up to £3.7 billion a year with a third of van drivers saying they have been hurt doing so, according to research commissioned by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

Some 48 per cent of those who reported an injury had to take more than one day off at a time, with an average downtime cost of £500 per person per day.

On top of this, 34 per cent of drivers reported taking more than a week off due to an injury caused specifically by loading or unloading their van, with an average absence of five working days in a single period. This comes despite 83 per cent of drivers stating they knew how to safely load their vehicles.

A registered van parc of 4.6 million vehicles in the UK means loading-related injuries are currently costing businesses as much as £3.7 billion per year.

To help businesses and drivers alike, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles andCatherine Quinn, president of the British Chiropractic Association, have published a list of top tips to help operators safely load and unload a vehicle:

1. Before going to lift anything, think about how you have prepared your most important tool for the day, your body. Take five minutes to warm up your body using simple stretches and full body movements like floor-to-ceiling touches.

2. When assessing the object you're about to lift, make sure that you are splitting the load up into manageable chunks, rather than trying to do it all at once. If an object is an awkward shape or size, consider asking a colleague to help you.

3. Ensure that you are engaging your legs when lifting anything. You have a great deal of strength in your legs and buttocks, so use them to drive up from a squat or lunge position to best protect your body.

4. If you are someone who suffers with back pain, try to avoid lifting and twisting with a heavy item. Instead aim to lift the item, and then use your legs to turn rather than twisting through your spine.

Once behind the wheel, it's just as important to ensure good posture to avoid back pain - one of the leading reasons for workplace absence.

All Volkswagen vans feature ergoComfort seats that offer up to 20-way adjustment for correct lumbar support, while the in-built suspension softens bumpy country roads, potholes and speed bumps alike.

Rob Holdcroft, head of network salesat Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, said: "Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is on the side of businesses and customers alike and the ability to operate in a safe environment is of the upmost importance to us. This is why we work alongside our customers to design vehicles that are effective and supportive as doing so benefits both parties - businesses don't have big injury bills to pay and operators don't lose any days on the job."