At a major food processing plant, workers had to manually push heavy meat carts to maneuver them between processing stations. Concerned about injury risk and worker safety, plant executives turned to DJ Products for ergonomic solutions to their material handling problem. Our experts recommended the CartCaddyShorty battery powered tugger, a motorized cart mover designed to push, pull and maneuver carts that require turning. The battery powered tugger is the most maneuverable tug on the market today with the power to handle most push/pull applications. Most commonly used with carts that have two front swivel casters and two straight casters, the ergonomically-designed CartCaddyShorty attaches to the swivel end of the cart to provide the power necessary for easy pushing, pulling, turning and intricate maneuvering. Heavy carts that usually require two workers to maneuver can be easily managed by a single employee. The battery powered tugger takes the physical burden off your workers, eliminating the exertion and straining that can cause serious and expensive musculoskeletal injuries.Musculoskeletal injuries cost U.S. businesses billions of dollars in medical, insurance, workers’ compensation and lost man-hour costs each year. According to OSHA statistics, back injuries alone cost businesses $12 million in lost workdays and $1 billion in compensation costs annually. The time-lost cost of a single back injury is estimated at $26,000.Through proactive use of the CartCaddyShorty, this major food processer was able to eliminate potential musculoskeletal injury risk at its facility. They also realized an increase in productivity and improved employee moral after introduction of DJ Products’ battery powered tugger. The CartCaddyShorty has also proved effective in hospital, hospitality and retail applications.Click here to learn more and to watch a video of the CartCaddyShorty in action. The world leader in providing battery powered tuggers and equipment movers to the manufacturing, hospital and retail markets, DJ Products offers a full line of ergonomically designed, powered carts, tugs and movers.
Tag: ergonomics
Ergonomically Designed Equipment Can Help Employees Work More Efficiently
As we advance into the 21st century there will be more and more talk of how machines can replace people. Certainly, there are a number of professions in which fewer people can find work because machines are being used more often, but there is still a lot of work that requires the human touch. And if your company has jobs that require human effort, why not take good care of your workers? When you use the right equipment, such as a battery powered tug from DJ Products, you can prevent your employees from becoming injured.
DJ Products’ warehouse tugs like the RiderCaddy can increase overall productivity. If your company had carts that required several operators, a RiderCaddy would allow them to be moved by just one operator. The operators eliminated from this responsibility would then be available for other tasks.
Last year, a Forbes.com article made this very point. Instead of giving in to the fear that machines will take over, individuals and companies can find tasks that make better use of an employee’s time. “We mechanize a task, get it done by machines, which frees up humans to go and do something else. Possibly a more interesting something else.”
Your employees could get more done and do it safely when they have equipment that is ergonomically designed. All of our products are battery powered “walk-behind” units, that allow the operator to have increased control, even in tight, difficult spaces. Because of this operating flexibility, our extremely efficient electric cart movers can be used in more applications than standard material handling equipment.
Recognizing Opportunity in the Marketplace
The economic slow down has certainly presented its challenges, but it’s also presented business owners with a unique opportunity to reassess both their products and the marketplace. Savvy business owners are making good use of down time necessitated by decreased sales and lowered production to shift more resources into market analysis and research and development. It’s a move geared to discover new opportunities in the marketplace and position businesses to compete more strongly as the market recovers.
While it’s stripped to its bare bones, this is an excellent time to focus on the most essential aspects that drive the market in which you compete. And that’s a smart thing to do periodically, but a chore that is easily put off in the hustle and bustle of meeting customer demands and production schedules when the market is thriving and you’re focused on sales. While the economy is slow, you have time to focus on the essential needs of your customers and that can sharpen your insight into the primary forces that ultimately drive your business. The process provides opportunities to discover new and innovative ways to meet those needs.
In every industry there are core needs that drive business. Applying new technology to address those core needs allows you to offer customers a competitive advantage they can’t get from your competitors. A down market allows you the time to research and develop new technologies and applications that will allow your business to stand out from the competition and offer your customers a way to compete more effectively in their own markets. This is also a time to explore new applications for your products that can open new, untapped markets for your products. The creation of multiple revenue streams through diversification minimizes your business risk when the economy tightens up.
DJ Products’ own story provides an excellent example of how analysis of core market needs can lead to the innovative application of technology to create unique new products. Early on DJ Products saw a need for the development of ergonomically-designed material handling equipment. You have only to look at U.S. Bureau of Labor and Workman’s Compensation statistics to recognize the high cost in both production losses and worker medical expenses caused by musculoskeletal injuries from moving equipment and products in the workplace. Applying ergonomic design techniques to material handling equipment provided a unique solution that successfully resolved these issues, providing practical and affordable solutions to a core industry need. DJ Products’ continued dedication to developing unique solutions to meet customers’ needs has made us an innovative leader in the material handling industry.
Ergonomics = Respect for Workers
Companies that value and respect their workers are proactive about ergonomics, said Peter Budnick, PH.D., founder, president and CEO of Core 3, Ergoweb and Ergobuyer, at a recent material handling conference. “A well formulated ergonomics strategy supports and accelerates continuous improvement in any organization, facility or supply chain.”
Integration of ergonomic practices and equipment into manufacturing and business operations improves productivity, waste reduction, quality control and safety. Ergonomics can operationalize a company’s respect for people, said Budnick, who added that many companies misunderstand ergonomics and therefore don’t recognize its value. He considers ergonomics “essential in an effective continuous improvement system” in any business or industry.
Ergonomics takes a human-centered approach to task and tool design. It recognizes differences in the individual characteristics and capabilities of workers and strives to accommodate those variables in the design of equipment and structuring of tasks. The goal of ergonomics is to prevent soft tissue, repetitive motion, repetitive stress and musculoskeletal injuries. Nearly half of all lost work days can be attributed to musculoskeletal injuries. These injuries cost U.S. industry more than $61 billion per year in lost productivity and an additional $20 billion in annual medical and workers compensation benefits.
The value of respecting workers has been proven time and again. Toyota has made it a pillar of its business execution plan. When workers are valued, productivity and quality increase while injuries and negativity decrease. Implementation of an ergonomics program is an important way to show workers that you respect them and value their health and safety. In formulating an ergonomics program, evaluate tasks, equipment and work environment for the following factors:
- force applied
- awkward or fatiguing postures
- repetition or frequency
- duration, both of the task and the number of times per day it is performed
- vibration
- contact pressure
- velocity of movement
- environmental factors including lighting, temperature, noise, etc.
The goal of ergonomics is to eliminate the discomfort and stress these factors cause workers. On the DJ Products website, we provide a handy Ergonomic Load Calculator that can assist you in evaluating the force needed to move loads in particular workplace environments. Our experienced staff can assist you in designing ergonomic solutions to that will benefit your workers and increase productivity.
Use Handy Calculator to Determine Your Ergonomic Needs
In our last few posts we’ve been talking about the importance of ergonomics in creating both a safe and healthy work environment and the benefits that can provide to your business. Ergonomically-designed equipment decreases the frequency and severity of workplace injuries, medical costs and disability payments, and absenteeism, while increasing employee morale, efficiency and productivity, and profitability.
With so many benefits, it pays a company to invest in ergonomically-designed equipment, but how can you determine your ergonomic needs? DJ Products provides a useful Ergonomic Load Calculator on our website. The calculator is designed to estimate the amount of horizontal force necessary to move wheeled loads in various workplace environments.
Easy to use, our calculator takes you through a series of questions regarding floor condition, terrain, footing, equipment condition, equipment configuration, use of assembly line when applicable, and load weight to determine the required force to move an average load. A second series of questions factors in human performance qualifiers such as proposed worker, frequency and distance each load will be moved, whether loads are pushed or pulled, and handle height. Using mathematic formulas, a Human Performance Capability is calculated that provides an ergonomic estimate of the amount of force that a single worker should apply to move the load. Calculations are provided for both initiating and sustaining equipment motion. A comparison of the calculated equipment force to the ergonomic limit of force allows ergonomists, health and safety officers, and other professionals to accurately evaluate the ergonomic needs of a company.
The program also offers helpful suggestions that can be used to improve workplace safety. For example, an ergonomic evaluation of a manually-wheeled pull-cart might recommend a specific caster size to reduce initiation force or improve pivoting. It might recommend a maximum weight load for the equipment being evaluated. It is always recommended that ergonomic solutions be immediately implemented wherever force exceeds capacity to prevent worker injury.
Hospital Turns to DJ Products for Ergonomic Solutions
Respect for both its medical personnel and bottom line led a large California hospital to partner with DJ Products. Looking for ways to eliminate potential injuries caused by moving heavy hospital beds, food and linen carts, gurneys and wheeled equipment, this hospital turned to DJ Products for ergonomic solutions that would protect the health and safety of its staff. By implementing an ergonomic program to decrease injuries, the hospital also lowered medical, insurance and workers’ compensation costs. Absenteeism from worker injury and resultant added payroll and overtime expenses necessary to cover those absences also decreased.
Like most medical facilities, this hospital relies not only on paid staff, but also on what is fondly termed the “gray brigade” to function. An army of seniors provides a host of volunteer services to assist the perennially harried staff and enrich the lives of patients. Concern about possible injuries among its aging volunteer force and heavily female medical staff led this hospital to review tasks and procedures and update its equipment with ergonomic cart pullers from DJ Products.
DJ Products is a leader in the manufacture of ergonomic material handling products for the hospital, retail, hospitality, automotive and manufacturing markets. Our CartCaddyLite Cart Puller eliminates the pains and strains that can occur when manually pushing hospital beds, medical equipment and heavy food and linen carts. The battery-powered CartCaddyLite easily maneuvers beds, equipment and carts weighing up to 1500 pounds. Variable speed twist grips allow the operator to travel at speeds of 0 to 3 mph and maneuver forward and backwards in tight hospital rooms and congested corridors. Its compact, batter-operated, 24-volt motor can perform without recharging for an entire shift.
For detailed specifications and to watch a video of the versatile CartCaddyLite Cart Puller in action, visit the DJ Products website. We also make an electric cart pusher for maneuvering heavier carts and equipment up to 20,000 pounds and a versatile powered platform cart for moving heavy boxes and supplies.
What to Look for in Ergonomic Design
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.
Back Strain in the Workplace
Only the common cold results in more lost work days than back strain. Overexertion is responsible for 25% of all workplace injuries, according to the National Safety Council. One worker in every 200 experiences an overexertion injury, indicates data compiled by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Annually, overexertion injuries cost American business more than 12 million lost workdays and over $1 billion in compensation costs. The majority of overexertion injuries — 60% — result in back strain, particularly in the lower back.
Statistics show that one in five disabling workplace injuries are back injuries and that more than 25% of workers’ compensation claims are for back injuries. Back strain occurs when the back muscles are overused or ligaments and tendons are overstretched. Recovery can be lengthy; and once damaged, the back is particularly susceptible to re-injury.
Back injuries most often occur during lifting, pulling, pushing, carrying, bending or twisting activities. These are the same activities most likely to be carried out by workers on a daily basis. According to OSHA studies, preventive measures that include weight restrictions on loads and personnel safety training have proved inadequate in reducing injuries. However, coupling preventive measures with ergonomically designed equipment can significantly reduce the incidence of back injuries in the workplace.
By studying the actions used to complete a task, ergonomic engineers are able to design equipment that eliminates or minimizes lifting, pulling, pushing, carrying, bending and twisting actions. Ergonomic cart puller equipment that reduces the potential for overexertion or extension reduces the risk of back injury.
2009 Ends on Material Handling High Note
2009 seemed like the year that would never end. For manufacturers, the bad news just kept on coming. But hope seems to have finally struggled above the horizon. From the depths of last winter’s discontent, 2009 has risen to end on a high note for material handling manufacturers and, indeed, most U.S. manufacturers. Reports indicate that U.S. manufacturing has finally turned the corner, and we can expect 2010 to be a far more productive and more profitable year. Break out the champagne!
The fourth quarter of 2009 saw strong manufacturing growth. With the job market showing signs of stabilization and housing prices beginning to climb toward normal, November brought a cautious increase in consumer spending. Manufacturing benefitted from increased orders for durable goods during the fourth quarter as customers started restocking their shelves. While durable goods orders in November were less than robust, they were twice the amount forecast by economists. Overall, the U.S. economic picture looks hopefully optimistic for the first time since the recession hit.
“We are seeing progress in a number of areas, from increases in consumer spending and business spending to growth in exports,” Brian Bethune, an economist at IHS Global Economics told the Associated Press last week. “It all adds up to a recovery that is gaining some momentum.”
Bethune and other economists are predicting a 4% annual rate of economic growth (as measured by gross domestic product) for the final quarter of 2009. In addition to durable goods, particularly a growing increase in high ticket items, industrial growth into the new year is expected to come from increased equipment and software purchases. Ergonomic material handling equipment sales are expected to increase as manufacturers and business owners seek out ways to increase worker productivity and decrease healthcare costs. Expected new regulatory requirements aimed at protecting worker health and safety are also expected to drive up sales of ergonomic carts and tugs.
New Race Car Pusher Zooms into Nascar Pits
You have to love Nascar. The roar of the engines, the flashing colors, the intense concentration of drivers hurtling around the track at speeds we only wish we could achieve with our rather pedestrian family car. We marvel at the balletic precision of the pit crews as a car zooms in and screeches to a halt, tires smoking. Like attacking locusts, the crew descends on the car, jacks pumping and pneumatic drills whirring, bouncing tread-bare tires off and new ones back on. Then with a roar, the car is off again to join the fray.
What we don’t see is the back-breaking labor behind the scenes. Before and after races, these race cars must be muscled in and out of trailers, pushed around service areas for fine tuning and repair, shunted across huge expanses of tarmac for inspection or testing, and maneuvered into the pit — all manually. Can you imagine the chaos if all those high-powered machines went lurching around with engines roaring? Until race time, the only power used to move these sleek racers is human muscle. And since human sinew and tendons are no match for more than a ton of steel, injuries are common.
DJ Product’s RaceCarCaddy keeps the risk of injury on the track and out of the pit. This battery-powered auto pusher allows a single crew member to expertly move and maneuver a heavy race car in the pit or staging area without risk of injury, freeing other crew members for other service tasks. Our RaceCarCaddy is a specialized version of our popular ergonomically-designed car and vehicle pusher developed especially for the race car industry.
The RaceCarCaddy is capable of moving 5000 pounds. Made with a strong tubular steel frame, this battery-operated vehicle pusher features a variable-speed handlebar twist grip to eliminate carpal tunnel syndrome, can go from 0 to 3 mph in both forward and reverse with adjustable acceleration braking, and features non-marking push pads to protect those snazzy paint jobs. Powered by three 12-volt batteries, this powerful vehicle mover comes with an onboard automatic charger, Hoosier slick racing tires and much more.
Specialized options are also available for the RaceCarCaddy, including an operator ride-along kit, foam-filled tires, snow and ice tires, flashing light, safety horn, maintenance-free batteries and a heavy duty motor/transaxle power upgrade that allows this caddy to push cars and trucks up to 50,000 pounds. Your RaceCarCaddy can be customized to match your race car and include your sponsor’s logo.
Click here to watch a video of the amazing RaceCarCaddy in action. Visit our website for complete specifications on DJ Products’ new RaceCarCaddy.