A research team from the University of Loughborough is hoping to develop a tool which should help those who drive as part of their job to avoid developing back problems.
Musculoskeletal disorders are the most common form of work-related ill-health in the UK, the university said, costing employers more than £200 million a year. Unsurprisingly, employees who drive for more than 20 hours a week are the most at risk.
While driving itself enforces a constrained posture, the car is increasingly being used as a mobile workplace with associated health risks, said the university's Dr Diane Gyi, who is leading the project.
The team has been awarded nearly £200,000 by the Bupa Foundation to enable them to develop a driving ergonomics tool and examine the effects of driving on people's health.
Dr Gyi continued: "Research at Loughborough University has shown that prevention strategies that are tailored to the drivers' needs are much more effective in terms of changing behaviour and improving health.
"The tool we will develop has the potential to encourage employers to invest in health, leading to improvements in the short, medium and long term health outcomes of employees and enhancing organisational performance."
It is hoped that the tool will eventually help businesses to manage the risks to employees posed by driving.
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