DJ Products, Inc.

You can’t squash a square peg into a round hole. In effect, that’s the idea behind ergonomic design. Instead of trying to contort human bodies to work tasks, ergonomic design seeks to fit products, tasks and environments to the people who use them. The result is increased productivity, decreased expense and greater worker safety. Definitely a win-win scenario for business and workers.

Ergonomics factors the human element into work tasks by taking into consideration physical capabilities such as force, posture and repetition. The psychological aspects of a task may also be considered, including mental loading and decision making. Ergonomic design may call upon the expertise of engineers, safety professionals, industrial hygienists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurse practitioners, chiropractors, physicians and the workers themselves.

In creating ergonomically designed equipment, both typical tasks and work sites are evaluated. By identifying potential risk factors and conditions, equipment can be engineered to reduce those risks. Ergonomic design must account not only for a range of work site conditions, but also for an even broader range of potential workers. After all, workers come in all body types. Height, weight, physical condition, physical and mental ability, age and sex must all be considered in designing ergonomic equipment. Ergonomic design generally allows equipment to be adjusted to allow for individual differences. 

DJ Products manufactures quality ergonomically designed electric and motorized carts. On our website, you’ll find a handy Ergonomic Load Calculator you can use to estimate the amount of horizontal force necessary to move loads in your particular business environment. The experienced staff at DJ Products can assist you in selecting ergonomically designed equipment that meets the needs of your business. Contact a DJ Products ergonomic design specialist today.

Injury occurs when the physical demands of a task exceed the physiological capabilities of a worker. In a hospital, pushing or pulling a rack of dinner trays, a portable x-ray machine or a patient bed may present minimal risk for a healthy, 25-year-old, 5′ 10″, 160-pound male. However, the same task can cause serious injury in a 50-year-old, 5′ 3″, 135-pound female.

Height, weight, age and general health all affect a worker’s physical ability to accomplish various hospital tasks. Different workers will need to exert different amounts of force to move the same piece of equipment. Injuries are most common when initiating and stopping motion. Those movements require application of the greatest amount of force, compared to the relatively low amount of force required to keep an object in motion.

Injuries are also common when maneuvering equipment around turns, up or down inclines, and into or out of tight spaces, such as elevators and next to hospital beds. No matter what a person’s body type, injury is apt to occur any time body posture is thrown off center, as when maneuvering a piece of equipment around a corner. Over-extension of the muscles in the arms, legs, shoulders, back and neck during maneuvering is another frequent cause of worker injury.

The CartCaddyLite Puller takes the physical strain out of moving hospital carts and other equipment. The smallest, most maneuverable tug on the market, the CartCaddyLite Puller is powerful enough to handle most push or pull applications, including linen carts, hospital carts, maintenance carts and hospital beds. Capable of performing fine maneuvers in tight spaces, the CartCaddyLite Puller allows any worker, no matter their size or age, to move equipment without injury.

Click here to watch a video of DJ Products’ dynamic hospital CartCaddyLite Puller in action. You’ll notice how easily the powered CartCaddy attaches to a bank of carts, allows the worker to pull it out, maneuver and then replace it.

U.S. logistics costs just topped 10% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2007. The recently released 19th Annual State of Logistics Report revealed that logistics costs for 2007 were just under $1.4 trillion. The report is sponsored by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.

GDP figures for 2007 were up from 9.9% in 2006 and matched 1998 figures. In the intervening years, only 2000 resulted in a GDP figure above 10%. With the exception of 10.3% in 2000, total spending as a percentage of GDP declined steadily from 1998 to a low of 8.6% in 2003 before beginning a slow rise. Financial experts predict a drop in GDP spending figures for 2008 citing the slow economy, high fuel costs, the mortgage crisis and the resulting credit crisis.

The report indicated significant increases in total business inventories. In 2007 inventories rose 8.7% and an additional 3.7% in the first quarter of 2008. At 5%, commercial interest rates were at 5-year highs. Commercial paper rates were just 1% in 2003 and 2004.

Not surprisingly, motor carriage led logistics spending at $671 billion or 79% of transport costs and 48% of total costs. Motor carriage costs rose 6.1% in 2007. With diesel prices edging past $5 per gallon, 2008 carriage costs are expected to be significantly higher. Logistics companies and shipping firms are feeling the pinch of rising fuel prices. With no relief in sight, shipping companies are hurting and many smaller firms are going under.

Increased fuel prices are expected to have a deleterious effect on 2008 GDP figures. Logistics industry gains realized in 2007 may well be lost. How desperately the overall economic picture will be affected remains to be seen, but experts don’t think it’s looking good. Losses are expected across the board.