Back strains, broken bones and even an amputated leg are among the serious injuries that have befallen undertakers as they shoulder the burden of Britain’s obesity crisis.
Injury records disclosed in response to a freedom of information request by the Daily Telegraph show that funeral directors have reported a string of mishaps resulting from the growing weight of coffins.
According to National Health Service statistics, the population is about a stone heavier than it was a generation ago, with the average waistline among middle-aged men measuring roughly 40in, and women coming in at approximately 36in.
And while those figures are placing intolerable pressure on the NHS, it is not just a public health issue.
Two undertakers in Newbury, Berkshire suffered injury after putting a body on a stretcher , with one straining their back and other wrenching a shoulder.
They had tried to move the deceased without the support of colleagues in response to the distress of bereaved family members.
In another incident, a Co-Op employee was forced to undergo surgery on a broken hand after a coffin containing an overweight body slid into his fingers, crushing them.
‘The weight of the deceased’ caused another Co-op undertaker to injure his back as he negotiated a flight of stairs on the way to a church funeral.
Oversized coffins need to be custom built, meaning additional fees for bereaved family members
Oversized coffins can cost more than double the price of a standard casket
A standard casket typically measures between 24 and 27 in wide, but manufacturers are now producing coffins as wide as 52 in, capable of fitting a person weighing up to 1,000 pounds
In one of the most shocking incidents, an undertaker had to have a leg amputated after bumping into a park bench and sustaining a wound that turned septic.
In one case, three undertakers conveying the body of a 25-stone man all suffered injury after negotiating a flight of stairs.
Trolleys are increasingly utilised to transport heavy bodies, with pallbearers struggling to carry coffins on their shoulders.
The average overweight Brit costs the health service at least £1,000 in healthcare costs per year, a new major analysis suggests.
But those considered very obese, with a body mass index over 40, cost the NHS around £5,000 per head, due to weight-related health troubles.
