christopher Harper, Author at DJ Products

The Danger of Push and Pull Injuries – Think Dumpster Movers!

Pushing and pulling may seem like basic activities, but according to the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) they are behind roughly 20 percent of workplace injuries. Not only do they increase risk of injury, pushing and pulling inflict stress on the body’s musculoskeletal system.

Studies show that these injuries are a result of poor body mechanics rather than unsafe work conditions. Share these techniques with employees to reduce risks involved in pushing and pulling.

Safety Tips for Pushing and Pulling

1. Whenever possible, push rather than pull to relieve stress on lower back muscles and face forward while moving.

2. Be realistic about the effort involved in transporting a heavy load. Consider the task carefully and ask for help when you need it.

3. Make sure the dumpster puller or other mover is in good operational condition. Determine the best route to travel and inspect it beforehand for any obstructions.

4. Use a slow but steady movement when starting and stopping a load. Sudden exertions can add undue stress to muscles and joints.

5. Always use proper body mechanics:

Hands should be chest height and shoulder width apart.
Contract your abdomen, maintaining a slight arch in your lower back.
As you bend your elbows, retract your shoulder blades and push your chest forward.
Keep feet flat and shoulder width apart.

Reduce Pushing and Pulling Injuries with Electric Movers from DJ Products

Our WasteCaddyLite dumpster puller is ergonomically designed to let a single employee safely move up to 2,000 pounds. Visit our website to learn more about our full line of battery-powered tugs, pullers and movers.

What Important Trends Should Hotel Managers be Watching for 2017

A successful hotel is more than just a place to sleep. The hospitality industry is always adapting to accommodate evolving customer needs and incorporate current marketing methods.

Industry newsletter 4Hoteliers weighs in with significant hospitality trends that hotel managers should keep an eye on in 2017.

What Does 2017 Hold for the Hospitality Industry?

Technology continues to revolutionize the workplace as companies develop robots to enhance customer service in positions like housekeeping and concierge. While some workers may become displaced, this change will open up opportunities for those who are willing to learn new skills.
Guests will be able to use mobile check-in by means of a “pod” or simply by going to their room. In some hotels, guest room phones are being replaced with in-room tablets which can be used to order room service and control other functions.
Airbnb may be considered competition today, but in the future they are likely to morph into more of an overall distribution channel for both hosts and hotels. In the meantime, use Airbnb as inspiration to make your hotel the preferable resource for travelers.
How do you define your company culture? Improve employee retention by treating them with the same respect and value that you give to your customers.

Lighten the Load for Employees with Powered Hotel and Linen Carts

Providing a safe and effective workplace is a vital step in boosting employee satisfaction. Powered hotel and linen carts from DJ Products reduce risk of injury and allow employees to perform more efficiently.

Visit our website to learn more about the CartCaddyLite and our full line of powered hotel and linen carts.

2017 Healthcare Marketing Trends for Hospital Administrators

New Healthcare Trends Means New Advanced Ways to Help Patients

Healthcare is a constantly evolving industry. Medical technology becomes more advanced while doctors and other healthcare professionals adapt to the changing needs of patients. In turn, healthcare marketing faces the challenge of shifting gears to accommodate these changes.

Here are some of the more significant healthcare marketing trends of the upcoming year that you should incorporate in your program.

2017 Healthcare Marketing Trends to Watch

Consumers have become more active participants in covering their own healthcare costs, sending them online in search of information. Relevant and compelling content is the biggest factor that will set you apart from the competition.
As consumers become more knowledgeable, they are less likely to respond to generic, broad-based advertising. Digital marketing puts an unprecedented amount of data at your fingertips for use in personalizing your message for specific targets.
While “old school” computers are still widely used, Americans make the majority of their connections via smartphones. If your online presence isn’t optimized for mobile, you’re seriously behind the curve.
If a picture tells a thousand words, then video speaks volumes. YouTube, Facebook Live, Instagram and other platforms give you the opportunity to share video and streaming content that immediately captures interest.
Everyone’s lives are full with jobs, families and other commitments, so people have become less willing and able to bend their schedules. As a result, they look for prompt and convenient healthcare service, much like they do with retail businesses.

Powered Hospital Carts from DJ Products

Our powered hospital carts such as the CartCaddyLite let your employees move heavy loads safely and quickly without inconvenience to patients. Visit our website for more information.

Downturn in Freight Trends for 2017 Plague the Logistics Industry

bigdata — Downturn For the Logistics Industry

Thanks to a laundry list of challenges, the trucking industry limped through a major slump in 2016. What factors contributed to shrinking numbers in truckloads and volume, and what does the upcoming year have in store?

Recent Woes of the Trucking Industry

The post-recession period was kind to logistics as increases in disposable income, factory production and cross-border commerce resulted in a steady recovery. But over the last 18 months, declining demand for services has turned normal seasonal patterns into a wildly fluctuating landscape.

Experts point to a nearly perfect storm of adverse conditions affecting the trucking industry:

Gross domestic product growth topped out at barely one percent, even lower than the already anemic two percent post-recession recovery rate.

Labor conflicts at West Coast ports created a bottleneck that ultimately resulted in excess inventory.

Sinking crude oil prices caused a double whammy on industrial production and shipping volumes.

In the wake of the recession, many consumers chose to increase savings rather than spending.

Can Logistics Rebound in 2017?

Research company IBISWorld paints a more encouraging picture for 2017, forecasting a 2.4 percent uptick in domestic trucking sales. Much of the optimism arises from companies increasingly implementing just-in-time inventory management, ordering materials more frequently to cut back on storage costs.

Handle Heavy Loads Safely with an HD Trailer Mover

From assembly line to finish, semi trailers and equipment trailers become increasingly heavy and awkward to maneuver. Our HD trailer mover from DJ Products easily handles trailers up to 50,000 pounds across all types of surfaces. Visit our website and use the online chat feature to learn more from our sales engineers.

Tips for Preventing Injuries in the Workplace – Look at the Trash Room First

Do you associate workplace injuries with assembly lines and other complex equipment? You might be surprised to learn that many of them occur in the relatively quiet trash room.

According to data from the Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index, these five injuries account for nearly 75 percent of the overall cost burden:

1. Overexertion

The top category includes injuries caused by pushing, pulling and other activities that cause undue stress on muscles and joints. Manually transporting dumpsters weighing hundreds or thousands of pounds can easily result in these types of injuries.

2. Falling

Employees are vulnerable to falling while moving dumpsters up and down inclines or across treacherous surfaces such as snow and ice.

3. Bodily Reaction

This category includes injuries such as getting fingers and hands caught in dumpster lids or stumbling and banging your head against the side.

4. Falling to a Lower Level

While technically this doesn’t usually apply to trash rooms, an employee can become seriously injured by a fall incurred by climbing into a dumpster.

5. Struck by Object

Unwieldy dumpsters can quickly get away from employees, striking them or causing them to be pinned against a wall or other obstacle.

Safeguard Employees with a Dumpster Mover from DJ Products

A dumpster mover like the WasteCaddyLite, our most popular product, eliminates many of the risk factors for these common injuries.

A single employee can transport dumpsters weighing up to 2,000 pounds.

Dumpster movers travel securely on inclines as well as rough or slippery surfaces.

Our movers are ergonomically designed to prevent repetitive motion injuries.

Call 800.686.2651 to learn more about our full line of movers.

Tips for Improving Warehouse Productivity the Low Tech Way

Technology has made its way into nearly every part of our personal and professional lives. In warehouse inventory management, solutions ranging from barcodes and scanners to industrial powered carts improve accuracy and efficiency.

This doesn’t mean that old school methods have no place in today’s warehouses. Here are some tried-and-true ideas to boost overall productivity.

Four Low-Tech Tips for High Productivity

Clean house. Daily operations cause disarray to every warehouse, no matter how organized it is to start. Walk the floor regularly to spot and correct any potential risk areas such as poor shelf placement of high-velocity items.

Implement cycle counts. Once-a-year inventories are a must, but they allow too much time for small problems to snowball into serious ones. Conducting cycle counts lets you correct discrepancies before they get out of hand.

Have a clearly defined receiving area. Receiving errors are like dominoes that trigger a ripple effect through the entire chain. Make sure your receiving team has plenty of space and all the necessary tools to work accurately.

Plan clean-up time. If your employees start the day in a messy workplace, their attitude and actions will quickly follow suit. Specify a cutoff time for processing orders and have employees use the rest of the day to clean up. With everything in place, they can start off strong each day.

Reduce Injury Risk with Industrial Powered Carts from DJ Products

Workplace injuries are a major drain on productivity. Industrial powered carts such as our popular CartCaddy5WP are ergonomically designed to allow a single employee to safely move loads of up to 10,000 pounds. Visit our website for more information.

OSHA Weigh In on Push and Pull Injuries

Have you ever thought about how many activities in your workplace involve pushing and pulling? They can range from minor actions like opening and closing doors to labor-intensive jobs such as moving boxes, pallets and equipment.

Here’s what the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has to say about the safety risk of pushing and pulling.

Dangers of Pushing and Pulling

The full extent of pushing and pulling injuries is difficult to quantify. Overexertion is the most predominant cause, resulting in a variety of musculoskeletal injuries ranging from muscle strain to sprained joints.

In addition to overexertion injuries, a number of ailments are an indirect result of pushing and pulling. For example, an employee could slip and fall or get hands and feet caught on or between objects.

How Can You Reduce Injury Risk?

It’s just as tough to determine specific guidelines for the amount of force that can be safely exerted when pushing or pulling. These activities involve several complex factors that make it hard to calculate standard answers.

CCOHS points out three elements that add risk to any pushing and pulling actions:

Having hands above shoulder level or below waist level

Exerting force for more than five seconds

Exerting force at an angle

Protect Employees with a Dumpster Pusher from DJ Products

Whether your company is located in Canada or the United States, it faces the same set of safety challenges. Our popular WasteCaddyLite dumpster pusher reduces the risk involved in moving one of the heaviest objects in your workplace.

We welcome inquiries from throughout the United States and Canada. Call 800.686.2651 for more information.

What are Some of the Ergonomic Risk Factors in Industrial Settings?

Warehouses and other other industrial workplaces that involve primarily physical labor often suffer periods of low productivity due to employee injuries. Lessen this risk by creating a workplace that better accommodates your employees’ capabilities, a process known as ergonomics.

Common Injury-Prone Workplace Activities

When designing the layout and flow of your workplace, here are three main areas that should be addressed:

Repetitive Tasks

A number of industrial jobs include repetitive tasks that are governed by the work process and production goals. These movements, which can be accompanied by awkward postures, cause undue stress on muscles, ligaments and joints. The result is repetitive motion injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, that may become chronic if not treated successfully.

Excessive Force

Moving heavy loads is a common factor behind many workplace injuries. Employees may develop muscle fatigue trying to lift too much weight, lifting frequently or lifting using poor form. Shifting the burden to battery-powered industrial tugs greatly reduces the risk of lifting injuries.

Awkward Postures

Lack of appropriate ergonomic design can force employees to perform tasks using awkward postures that overload muscles and push joints beyond their optimum range of motion. It’s a double whammy when this situation is compounded by repetitive movements.

Reduce Work-Related Injuries with Industrial Tugs from DJ Products

Our electric industrial tugs, such as the popular CartCaddy, let employees easily move loads up to 10,000 pounds on their own. These tugs include ergonomic features that allow for easy and stress-free maneuvering of loads across any surface.

Visit our website or call 800.686.2651 to learn more from our helpful sales engineers.

Knowledge of Hazards Boosts Procedure Changes Making Your Warehouse Safer

According to the 2015 numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, five out of every 100 warehouse employees were involved in a workplace injury and 75 percent of those cases included lost time or job restrictions. Your company can reduce these numbers by observing some basic on-the-job safety measures.

Proper Forklift Operation

Data from OSHA indicates that approximately 95,000 forklift-related injuries occur each year.

All forklift operators should be 18 and over, fully trained and certified, and periodically evaluated.

Regularly review forklifts for broken parts and other damages.

Make sure operators observe the stated weight limits.

Keep aisles, loading docks and other traffic areas free of congestion.

Make seatbelt use mandatory.

Ensure that operators are protected from open pits and other dangers from covers or guardrails.

Repetitive Motion Activities

Poor form and awkward conditions make repetitive motion tasks, like lifting, another common cause of injuries.

Use power equipment instead of manual lifting whenever possible.

Enforce individual weight-lifting limits and require employees to seek assistance with heavier loads.

Adjust shelves to avoid lifting items from shoulder height or higher.

Keep floors free of debris and clean up spills immediately.

Provide adequate lighting.

Conduct ergonomic training, with instructions such as lifting with the legs and avoiding twisting when carrying items.

Lighten the Load with Industrial Tugs from DJ Products

Our battery-powered industrial tugs reduce the amount of force an employee must use to maneuver a load, and they’re ergonomically designed to eliminate stress on muscles and joints.

Call 800.686.2651 or visit our website to learn how our CartCaddy and other industrial tugs can improve efficiency and reduce injuries in your warehouse.

Will the Trump Presidency Boost Military Bomb Purchases from DOD Contractors?

While President-elect Donald Trump has been a powerful business man for decades, he has limited experience in the political arena. Much of the direction of Trump’s administration will be defined by his inner circle of advisors, with arms control being an area of particular interest.

Predicting Arms Control Under the New Administration

Experts believe Trump may adopt a position similar to that of former President Richard Nixon, who felt that demonstrating a willingness to use nuclear weapons is a crucial negotiating tactic. Trump’s aggressive personality alone could cause enemies to back down, but if he begins making nuclear threats, it could damage the U.S. relationship with its allies.

Unlike past presidents, who were familiar with the nuances of foreign relations, Trump hasn’t shown predisposition to strategic thinking. His response to challenges will most likely depend on whether the voices surrounding him recommend acceleration or negotiation.

Will CTBT Be Revived?

Trump could silence his critics, at least partially, by calling upon the Senate to proceed with hearings and ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). China, Pakistan, India and Israel, who have been biding their time, would most likely follow the lead of the U.S.

Russia, the traditional opponent of the U.S. when it comes to the arms race, ratified the CTBT during Boris Yeltsin’s time as president. Unfortunately, Russia’s continued observance of the treaty cannot be assumed.

Improve Safety with Bomb Movers from DJ Products

If you’re a DOD contractor, safe material handling procedures are essential. Contact us to learn how our remote-controlled, self-propelled bomb movers provide safe and efficient material transportation even in confined areas.

Author: christopher Harper