christopher Harper, Author at DJ Products

Minimize Lifting Injuries with Dumpster Movers

Prevent Accidents From Happening!

How much time and money did workplace injuries cost you over the past year? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than one-third of injuries involving lost time were the result of lifting.

Shoulder and back injuries are most often caused by overexertion and repetitive motion strain. Using a dumpster mover from DJ Products reduces injuries by eliminating these risk factors.

Do You Have Lifting “Best Practices” in Place?

There are currently no federal regulations for lifting standards, so it’s up to you to establish safety criteria for your workplace. The National Institute for Occupational Safety has created a “lifting equation” based on weight of the load, distance traveled by the lift, and physical motions of the employee.

Difficult Nature of Lifting Injuries

Most back injuries, such as pulled muscles or fractured vertebrae, occur to the lower spine. Recovery can take months, and it may involve surgery and physical therapy. Even with treatment, back injuries can result in chronic pain.

While you have a legal duty to maintain a safe workplace, negligence is not a requirement for filing a workers compensation claim. This fact increases the need to be proactive regarding injury prevention.

Maintain Efficiency and Reduce Injury Claims

Our popular WasteCaddy dumpster mover lets a single employee of any size, age and gender move loads of up to 5,000 pounds. The pivoting fifth wheel arm makes it easy to maneuver bulky dumpsters around corners and through narrow passages.

We have a full line of battery-powered dumpster movers to fit your needs. Visit our website and let our sales engineers help you find the best solution for you workplace.

Can You Effectively Manage Winter Weather Delays in Your Warehouse?

Snow and Ice Can Impact Logistics.

It’s said that time is money, and nowhere is that more true than in a warehouse. Now that winter is here, do you have contingency plans to minimize inbound and outbound shipping delays caused by bad weather?

How Do Winter Weather Delays Impact Your Bottom Line?

Cold temperatures, snow and ice affect all modes of transportation, including trucks, planes and trains. Here are just a few of the ways weather delays can disrupt your operations.

• Generous lead times mean lower shipping costs, but unpredictable weather seriously hampers the ability to provide good lead times.

• As shipments back up, higher volume creates higher demand, which in turn causes higher rates due to routing guide substitutions.

• Late inbound shipments of supplies result in production slowdowns and missed deadlines.

• Accessorials, such as greater fuel consumption and more pick-ups and drop-offs, also drive rates up.

Dealing with Winter Weather Setbacks

• This is no time to pinch pennies. Choose shippers that provide a high level of service to gain an advantage over your competitors.

• Look for consolidation opportunities that you may not have considered previously.

• Examine any links between inbound and outbound transportation strategies that may have some overlap.

• Make sure your budget has built-in wiggle room to allow for weather emergencies.

• The best answers may come from the most unlikely sources. Brainstorm with members of marketing, sales, IT, finance and other company departments for creative solutions.

Industrial Tugs from DJ Products Stand Up to Any Type of Weather

Our battery-powered industrial tugs can easily maneuver carts and heavy equipment across snow, ice and other difficult surfaces. Visit our website for more information.

Top Trends/Predictions for the Auto Industry for 2017

Car Sales Trends

While technology has made incredible advancements over the last few years, scientists have still not come up with a reliable way to tell the future. But there are plenty of knowledgeable experts who are willing to weigh in on what they see happening in the auto industry during 2017.

Car Sales Will Remain Healthy

In 2015, an astonishing 17.5 million light vehicles were purchased in the United States, and 2016 numbers are expected to top out at 18 million for an astronomic increase of 73 percent over the last seven years. Experts believe that the growing population will continue to boost sales, which could reach 20 million annually before hitting a natural slowdown.

Intuitive Dashboards Will Continue to Develop

Today’s cars are increasingly integrating touch screen along with voice and gesture control to access features, but don’t expect old-school buttons and knobs to disappear completely just yet.

Avoid Cars with Self-Driving Capabilities

If you truly can’t tear yourself away from your phone or tablet, self-driving features may be the way to go. But if you’re a normally attentive driver, these systems can become more of a distraction than the devices themselves.

Put That Tesla Model 3 Order on Hold

While Tesla has promised to roll out the new Model 3s in late 2017, their past track record shows regular delays of roughly two years. Look for the Model 3 in fall 2019.

State-of-the-Art Car Pushing Equipment from DJ Products

Are workplace injuries affecting productivity at your dealership? Visit our website and talk to our sales engineers about our battery-powered car pushing equipment such as our popular CarCaddyVP.

Insulate Your Supply Chain from Bad Weather with Good Planning

Insulate Your Supply Chain from Weather Events

No matter how carefully you plan your operations, weather is a factor you can’t always predict. Use these tips to keep your supply chain running smoothly through rain, snow, sleet and hail.

“Weatherproofing” Your Supply Chain

1. It’s not enough to check the weather forecast in your immediate area. Monitor ongoing weather reports along the routes of incoming and outgoing shipments so you can adjust accordingly.

2. When bad weather hits, transportation providers can be stretched thin trying to handle the demand. Use providers that are large enough to accommodate greater amounts of freight.

3. Harsh weather creates a ripple effect that carries through the length of your supply chain. Make sure there is open and regular communication across the entire network so each part can devise alternate plans during slowdowns or stoppages.

4. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. You may want to diversify the modes of transportation you normally use to gain additional flexibility.

5. Provide as much lead time for loads as possible so all options can be explored. As an added benefit, you may even end up with enough time to complete deliveries before the bad weather arrives.

Industrial Tugs from DJ Products Stand Up to Any Type of Weather

When time is of the essence, you can’t afford to have your employees struggling to move heavy loads. Industrial tugs like our popular CartCaddy can operate across rough surfaces and up and down inclines. They’re also ergonomically designed to prevent repetitive motion injuries.

Visit our website to learn more about how our industrial tugs are the solution for your supply chain needs.

Strap-On Body Enhancements May be in the Future for Warehouse Workers

The Future: Wearable Body Enhancements.

Today’s wearable technology puts information such as your heart rate and your pet’s whereabouts right at your fingertips. Now warehouse employees can don a flexible exoskeleton suit that turns them into “superheroes.”

Meet MAX

The Modular Agile Exoskeleton, or MAX, is the brainchild of suitX, a robotics company based in Berkeley, CA. MAX uses assistive bionics technology to reduce the amount of muscle power needed to complete physical tasks in the workplace.

Separate modules protect the shoulder, back and legs, and they may be worn individually or in any combination. The modules are passive, so there are no motors to malfunction.

Increase Workplace Safety and Efficiency

In a press release announcing the arrival of MAX, suitX founder and CEO Homayoon Kazerooni said the suit was intended for jobs “where no robot can work as efficiently as a human.” In addition to warehouses, MAX has applications for delivery services and construction.

Each year, workplace injuries caused by overexertion and stress cost companies billions of dollars in lost productivity, insurance claims and higher premiums. Employees with physically demanding jobs can use MAX to boost lifting power and reduce the stress of repetitive tasks performed in awkward positions.

Maximize Your Workforce Effectiveness with Industrial Tugs from DJ Products

Your employees don’t need superhuman strength to operate our battery-powered industrial tugs. Movers like our CartCaddy 5WP allow a single person to move loads of up to 10,000 pounds, and they’re ergonomically designed to prevent repetitive movement injuries.

Don’t wait until injuries get out of hand. Visit our website and let our sales engineers help you find the right industrial tug for your needs.

Manual Handling Injury Prevention with WasteCaddy Products

Staff Injuries are Costly to All Parties Involved

Preventing worker injuries is more than just the right thing to do. As one of our clients described to us, temporary staff replacements for injured regulars are “more expensive, and worse, they are really inefficient because they are not familiar” with the job’s demands. This client was a property manager who also said that staff injuries directly led to dissatisfied tenants.

Whatever industry you’re in, you can protect human resources and property by using WasteCaddy products to prevent injuries from manual tasks like pushing dumpsters.

From Small Trash Container Movers to Large Dumpster Towing

WasteCaddy products simply use a battery-powered motor to push or pull heavy loads at up to 3 mph. Even on ice or inclines, the employee keeps firm and precise control over the direction and speed.

These are powerful little haulers — even the WasteCaddyLite can haul dumpsters weighing up to 10,000 pounds, and we have larger options as well.

Our dumpster pushers prevent injuries in multiple ways. Primarily, the automation takes away thousands of pounds of stress and exertion. Ergonomics run down to the small details as well, such as the comfortable steering grip design.

OSHA recommends ergonomic programs for retail, grocery, and other businesses with employees who need to use manual force to push and maneuver heavy equipment like dumpsters. WasteCaddy can be the central component of reducing injuries among your workers such as lower back strains, rotator cuff injuries, tendonitis, and other musculoskeletal disorders.

If you have employees moving dumpsters by brute force, you are at elevated risk of worker’s comp claims. Talk to the ergonomics experts at DJ Products for help choosing automated equipment.

Safety Assessment May Just Get You an OSHA Paid Dumpster Caddy

Quality Staff Gets You Quality Equipment

Prevention is so critical to worker safety that OSHA has grant money available for ergonomic tools like dumpster moving equipment. Award recipients include non-profit organizations as well as labor unions, private firms, and certain other groups, so it’s possible for your workers to benefit from free safety equipment in almost any kind of workplace.

A Minnesota workman’s compensation insurance consultant’s article describes the availability and process of applying for an OSHA training grant. These funds are available through the Susan Harwood grant program, and there are various other state-level grant programs that can award free ergonomic equipment. Check with your state’s OSHA department (or your province’s OHSA in Canada) for equipment grants.

Get Started on Improving Warehouse Safety

Safety consultant Rob Neisius recently explained his take on training employees about ergonomics: instead of responding to one employee’s request for assistance, go ahead and assume that all of their coworkers could benefit from ergonomics training and equipment.

Neisius recommends asking the whole team for questions, feedback, and input. Follow that up with group training and new tools like dumpster moving equipment or cart caddies, and the organization will benefit from better health and productivity all around.

Then, you can explore a Susan Harwood Grant application. OSHA recommends that you prepare for the application by gathering and organizing information. This grant is more likely to be approved if the request is focused and informed, with a specific plan for implementing the ergonomic equipment and training employees to use it.

Are your employees currently pushing heavy waste containers by hand? If so, go ahead and look into dumpster moving equipment from DJ Products for safe and ergonomic solutions to your industrial safety needs.

Tips for Smooth Operations at Your Warehouse

Warehouse Organization and Management

Warehouse operation is the backbone of a successful company, but it’s easy to lose control of all the moving parts. Use these helpful tips to manage the details that keep your warehouse running on all cylinders.

1. Establish an Organized System

Without a logical system, your warehouse will fall into chaos as employees fall back on their own random methods. Set up the warehouse using a well-thought-out plan based on operational goals.

2. Stay Flexible

Your company is a dynamic environment where goals and conditions can change rapidly. Be sure to assess your warehouse system periodically and make any necessary changes to stay current with the business plan.

3. Make Receiving a Priority

All shipments should be received promptly and placed in the appropriate location so they’re readily available. Deal with damages and shortages immediately before problems pile up.

4. Train Your Staff

There’s no such thing as being overtrained. Develop a thorough program for training new associates, but include ongoing training and cross-training to put employees in the best position to succeed.

5. Establish and Maintain Effective Safety Practices

Workplace injuries have a ripple effect on lost productivity and increased expenses. Use proper equipment and work methods to reduce the chance of accidents and injuries.

Streamline Warehouse Operations with Industrial Tugs from DJ Products

Moving heavy equipment and materials is one of the primary causes of workplace injuries. Our battery-powered industrial tugs like our popular CartCaddy let a single employee move loads of up to 10,000 pounds easily and efficiently. Visit our website and chat with our sales engineers to find the best solution for your needs.

Four Tips to Be the Best Hotel Manager You Can Be

Relaxed Afro American business man sitting at his desk looking into the air

In the highly competitive hospitality industry, an outstanding customer experience will set your hotel above the others. Here are four tips for becoming a great hotel manager, who surpasses customer expectations and maintains a high-achieving staff.

1. Follow-Up Is Key

Part of your job is handling concerns of both customers and staff. Make it a habit to listen carefully to everyone and follow through on any necessary action. You will quickly develop a reputation for integrity that will inspire loyalty in others.

2. Stay on Top of the Financial Situation

It’s easy to get lost in the day-to-day finances of your hotel, but it’s the overall picture that matters. Keep good records of all expenses and review them regularly to see if you can reduce costs or shift expenditures to areas of greater need.

3. Be Visible

Yes, you need to spend time in your office on administrative duties, but you’ll lose perspective if you don’t get a first-hand look at what’s going on. Perform random room inspections, observe front-desk operations and chat with your staff on a regular basis.

4. Treat Your Staff Well

Few people respond to an authoritarian approach. You and your staff have the same goal, so they’ll be far more motivated if you treat them all as members of a team.

Dumpster Movers Lighten the Load on Your Staff

Help your staff be more efficient and avoid workplace injuries. Dumpster movers like the WasteCaddyLite from DJ Products save time, prevent injuries and boost productivity. Visit our website to learn more about our extensive line of battery-powered tugs and movers for any application.

Keeping Your Trash Room Clean Prevents Fires

Make Moving Waste Easier and Safer.

Do you think that there’s not much point wasting time in keeping your trash room clean? A messy trash room is more than just an eyesore. It’s a safety hazard that can even result in fires.

When A Trash Room Goes Up in Flames

The staff at a downtown Phoenix high-rise found out the hard way how dangerous dirty trash rooms can be when their compactor recently caught fire. Firefighters who responded to the scene found light smoke and the sprinklers had gone off. Fortunately, there were no injuries.

Grease, sludge and dirt can build up in a dumpster. Tests show that this residue is flammable at temperatures as low as 180 degrees. If someone carelessly flicks a cigarette butt inside, or smoldering ashes are mistakenly dumped, a fire can start almost instantaneously.

Complicating matters, the grimy build-up can keep the dumpster doors from closing securely, in effect creating a wind tunnel that intensifies the fire. Any paper and cardboard in the dumpster or trash room are also likely to accelerate the flames.

Legal Aspects of Poor Trash Room Maintenance

If the doors on your trash chute don’t close properly, it constitutes a violation of fire safety codes. Noncompliance can be subject to citations, fines and other penalties, but these are insignificant in the face of possible property damage, injuries and fatalities.

Improve Trash Room Safety with a Dumpster Puller from DJ Products

Have trash room injuries impacted your available manpower? Our electric WasteCaddyLite dumpster puller makes it safe for a single employee to maneuver dumpsters up and down inclines and through narrow passages. Visit our website for more information.

Author: christopher Harper