A flying fluorescent tube has hit home with a safety message about cargo barriers for a Brisbane electrician.

Michael Ruddy, driving a mobile van to visit clients, was forced to brake suddenly at a pedestrian crossing and was hit in the back of the head by a fluoro tube that had been stored in a tube behind the driver's seat. It was in the days before the Occupational Health & Safety Act required safety barriers to be fitted to work vehicles.

"I can still feel the pain from the two lugs in the end of that tube," said Michael, who pulled over and stemmed the flow of blood from his head wound. "I'm lucky it was only a minor injury from a light object, and I wasn't hit by my toolbox or something heavy."

Michael works now for Fixzit, a Brisbane company that operates six Toyota Hi-Ace vans from their Coopers Plains head office. All the vans have Milford cargo barriers fitted before delivery, at the insistence of managing director, Andy Robertson. "I could not live with myself if one of my staff was injured because of the lack of a cargo barrier," stated Andy. "Michael's incident highlights the need for their fitment in every work van."

The optional air conditioning curtain attached to the Milford cargo barrier also draws praise from Michael Ruddy. He believes that working in Brisbane's hot and humid weather, he's 50 per cent more productive to his employer as a result of being cooler in the vehicle, in between jobs. Having the curtain fitted means the air conditioner has only the small cabin area to cool, which it does very effectively.

Milford cargo barriers are available for a wide range of vans and station wagons, and are manufactured to the latest Australian Standards.

For more information about the barriers and the location of the nearest Milford distributor, call 1800 683 577 or check Milford's website at www.cargobarrier.com

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