DJ Products, Inc.

Some people think all material handling equipment is the same. They may notice that handles, controls, wheels, beds, connectors and other features differ from model to model but they don’t realize that even small differences in design can have a huge impact on how hard or easy a piece of material handling equipment is to use and whether it is likely to injure operators or minimize the risk of injury. Those small differences can add up to huge financial savings when material handling equipment is ergonomically designed to maximize ease of use and minimize risk of injury.

Workplace injuries cost U.S. businesses more than $60 billion annually and affect more than 1.75 million workers each year. A single back injury, which account for 50% of worker’s compensation claims, can cost a business $26,000 in time-lost costs. Utilizing ergonomically-designed material handling equipment to take the strain off workers’ backs during pushing, pulling and lifting activities can result in immediate savings.

When material handling equipment is ergonomically designed, every aspect of the piece of equipment and how it will be used is taken into consideration. Because workers come in all shapes and sizes, ergonomic engineers must consider a wide range of factors in designing equipment so that it can be comfortably used by a varied workforce. As you might expect, ergonomics addresses major design features such as the height of load beds, cart depths, angle of access, force requirements and other macro-design elements.

However, small, repetitive actions like twisting a handle often tax muscles and result in repetitive motion musculoskeletal injuries. Ergonomic engineers strive to address every element of equipment design from the width and angle of hand grips to the placement and shape of control buttons to the size and type of wheel. For more information on ergonomically-designed material handling equipment, visit the DJ Products website.

The recreational vehicle industry is celebrating its centennial year. It’s been 100 years since Pierce Arrow rolled the first mass-produced RV off the assembly line in 1910. In the past century, RVs have gone from little more than primitive wooden boxes to sleek, luxurious homes packed with compact comfort. After a recession-caused dip in sales, new RV sales started been regaining traction in the last quarter of 2009. RV manufacturers have rehired laid off workers and even increased their workforce which employs more than a quarter million Americans. With the economy recovering and retiring baby boomers flocking to RV shows to indulge their wanderlust, the RV industry is poised to begin its second 100 years stronger than ever.

Big business in the U.S., RVs are an exclusively U.S. product, made by Americans in America. In fact, 60% of RVs are made in the Elkhart, Indiana area. More than 12,000 RV related businesses employing more than a quarter million people serve the RV nation which is growing every year. The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) estimates that one in every dozen U.S. families  — about 8.2 million households — owns an RV and an awful lot of them are travel trailers.

Every time those millions of recreational travel trailers are moved down the assembly line or across the factory floor and out to the storage lot or across a dealer showroom or in and out of a convention center for an RV show or around a repair service yard they have to be hooked up to a vehicle OR you could just use one of DJ Products’ handy TrailerCaddy trailer mover. Designed to maneuver full-size commercial cargo trailers, our versatile, compact, electric-powered trailer mover makes quick work of moving RV travel trailers, 5th wheels, toy haulers, pop-up campers and even RV park models. 

Visit the DJ Products’ website to find out more about our ergonomically-designed electric trailer mover.

“Ergonomics and Reducing the Pain in Worker’s Comp” is the topic of a workshop scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, January 20. Sponsored by the Northern Minnesota Safety Council, the workshop will be held at the Bemidji State University Center for Research and Innovation at 3801 Bemidji Ave. N, Suite 4, Bemidji, MN. Cost of the program is $25 per person; lunch will be provided. To register or for more information, visit the Center’s website at www.cri-bsu.org.

The workshop recognizes two forces that are coming together to reshape American industry: the high cost of health care and increased governmental regulation of workplace safety. With Congress on the verge of approving a national health care plan and the Obama administration in the midst of reviewing OSHA ergonomics standards in anticipation of ordering more stringent workplace safety standards later this year, the workshop should provide attendees with a more thorough understanding of the impact ergonomics can have on their business. The program will feature Joe Kapaun of Choice Therapy with expertise in onsite ergonomic systems evaluations and industrial rehabilitation.

Ergonomics has been proven to reduce workplace musculoskeletal injuries which account for the majority of worker’s compensation claims. Worker’s compensation claims cost American businesses more than $60 billion annually, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The National Council on Compensation Insurance reports that more than 50% of those claims are for back injuries from lifting, pulling, pushing and straining. Ergonomically-designed material handling equipment significantly reduces worker injury from manual labor tasks, resulting in significant worker’s compensation savings. The Bureau of Labor Statistics calculated the estimated time-lost cost per injury at $26,000 per incident. Prevention of a single injury by implementing use of ergonomically-designed material handling equipment results in an immediate savings of $26,000. 

To find out how ergonomic material handling equipment can help you reduce worker’s compensation costs, visit the DJ Products website.Â