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OBESITY WOE
Moving obese corpses now a major safety hazard for NHS staff as number of severely overweight Brits soars
Many morgues now have bigger fridges and wider door
MOVING obese corpses has become a safety hazard for hospital morgue staff, says the NHS.
Rising obesity rates mean workers face a greater risk of putting their backs out lifting and shifting heavier bodies.
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Many morgues now have bigger fridges and wider doors, and must keep larger corpses in a special store room to minimise contact.
NHS guidance states “lifting and moving of bodies” is now a health and safety issue owing to a rise in “people with excess weight”.
It says “appropriate refrigerated storage” should be provided with bigger store rooms “to minimise unnecessary handling of the body”.
Lisa Fairclough, a workplace accident lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said: “Manual handling accidents account for around a fifth of all reported workplace accidents, so their impact should never be downplayed.
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“All employers have a duty of care to reduce the risk of injury at work, so should make sure that steps are taken to best ensure that all manual handling tasks are performed safely.”
The NHS said: “It is important the right procedures are in place to manage bodies with respect and in a safe way for staff.
“That is why the NHS has provided up-to-date guidance on lifting and moving of bodies, and trusts are advised to consider the most appropriate refrigerated storage that will minimise unnecessary handling of the body.”
Thirty per cent of Brits are now severely overweight, double the level for 1993.
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