Nevertheless, practicable solutions are rare. Activities are limited either to regulation, such as the almost droll idea of limiting parcel weight to 20 kilos, or to schmaltzy image campaigns. All of which are only partially effective, because whether a parcel carrier carries a 25-kilo parcel or a 20- plus a 5-kilo parcel to the third floor does not solve the problem. Just as little as pretending that the worst jobs in logistics are particularly hip and fancy. They are not.

But they could become so. Making heavy work light is a question of technology. Have you ever tried an exoskeleton? You should definitely try it. It feels a bit bulky, kind of robotic. At 1.2 per mille on a ship - that probably sums it up quite well. The clunky full-body model in which Sigourney Weaver had a spectacular fight with the Alien Queen may not have caught on, but I don't think it's far-fetched to think that exoskeletons or other more subtle ergonomic innovations will actually turn warehouse, delivery or logistics jobs into attractive jobs in a few years' time. We're not there yet, but the technology is there, even if the supplier market is still small and largely unknown, but quite innovative.

Hard work is a universal problem, and therefore a social task that is the responsibility of employers and employees alike, as well as trade unions, associations and employers' liability insurance associations. People don't want to work less, they want to work better. They would rather work eight hours without back pain than seven with back pain. They would rather lift all their parcels lightly and loosely than with the same ineffective regulation as before. And a delivery driver who lifts a 30-kilo parcel with one hand would also send a convincing message to the next generation of logistics specialists.

Anita Würmser wrote the column "What worries Würmser" exclusively in LT-manager until the end of 2020. The agency owner and head of the IFOY Award and the Logistics Hall Of Fame has a lot to say - and now in materialfluss.

The article appeared in materialfluss 8-9/22.