Tag: Material Handling

Making the Responsibility Revolution Work for You

Hand in hand with the “go green” movement, the “responsibility revolution” is changing the way Americans shop. Everyone from the companies that supply your parts and materials to the end product consumer is watching how corporations use resources and interact — with the local community and the world at large. Ethical consumerism is on the rise and savvy business owners are paying attention.

An outgrowth of our raised consciousness about the interrelationship of environmental systems, people are paying more attention to how companies are interacting socially with their environment. It’s not enough these days to decrease your carbon footprint and lower your energy consumption, people expect a certain level of social responsibility from the companies they buy from and invest in. The marketplace is replete with examples of companies that have suffered for their lack of social consciousness. Nike attacked for unfair overseas labor practices. Wal-Mart boycotted for unfair labor practices at home. Rabid consumer groups have been quick to call attention to practices they find unethical, tarnishing corporate reputations, forcing management changes and even putting companies out of business.

Smart corporations are working to demonstrate to consumers that they care about the planet and the people they share it with. Implementing a strong ergonomic program and switching to ergonomic equipment that protects the health and safety of your workers is one immediate step companies can take to show their concern for others. Many Americans are looking for improvement and changes in their own back yards. Using local suppliers, contracting with local transport firms, supporting local events and charities, improving the lives of the people you hire — both on the job and off — these actions speak louder than words. They show people that you are a responsible corporate partner in their community and an asset in their daily lives.

New Side-Steer Powered Cart Handles Long Parts

Long parts or equipment that overhang the ends of the cart have always been a challenge to move. Objects that overhang the transport cart make it impossible for operators to safely push or pull loads from the end of the cart; they just can’t get physically close enough to get a safe handhold or exert proper force. Overhanging loads are generally too heavy to be pushed or pulled by a single worker and their length makes maneuvering these loads particularly awkward and unsafe. Problems with reach length, load balance and load stability even make use of traditional motorized tuggers unproductive and unsafe. The length and cumbersome placement of oversized loads makes it impossible for tuggers built to handle normal loads to safely reach under an oversized product or piece of equipment to grab and connect to the cart, much less guarantee safe transport and maneuvering by the operator.

DJ Products, the nation’s foremost manufacturer of ergonomically-designed motorized carts and powered cart movers, has solved the problem of safely transporting oversized loads with the introduction of its new side-steer powered cart. The unique side-steer design of this self-propelled cart allows the operator to safely walk behind and to the side of oversized loads, providing clear sight lines and safe, easy maneuvering of heavy, extra-long parts and equipment no matter how far they overhang the transport cart. Visit our website to watch a video of DJ Products’ new side-steer powered cart in action.

Capable of hauling loads up to 5,000 pounds, DJ Products’ ergonomic design ensures that the cart, not the worker, shoulders the load. The conveniently-located variable-speed twist grip is designed to reduce the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome while easily allowing the operator to move forwards and backwards at speeds up to 3 mph. Ergonomic design allows workers to perform their jobs more efficiently and comfortably by allowing equipment to be adjusted to the size of the worker. Awkward and unsafe work postures that lead to tired and cramped muscles, longer and more frequent work breaks, and disabling musculoskeletal injuries are eliminated.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports that one worker in every 200 experiences an overexertion injury. Annually, overexertion injuries cost American businesses more than 12 million lost work days and over $1 billion in compensation costs. According to a study published in the New Hampshire Business Review, every dollar invested in ergonomics reaps a $4 savings in medical, insurance, workers’ compensation and lost work day costs. To find out how DJ Products’ new side-steer powered cart can safely maneuver overhanging loads and save you money, talk to one of our ergonomic specialists today.

Obama Administration Proposes New Ergonomic Reporting Rules

For the last year, the economy, health care reform and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have occupied President Obama, forcing his campaign promise to improve workplace safety onto the back burner. With those issues under better control, the Obama administration appears to be ramping up to tackle workplace safety. Repetitive-stress musculoskeletal injuries harm 460,000 workers and cost U.S. businesses $9.1 billion in health care costs each year. As the first step toward developing regulations to reduce the risk and incidence of musculoskeletal injuries, the Obama administration this week proposed that U.S. companies be required to keep more extensive records of ergonomic-related injuries. Most analysts assume this to be the administration’s first volley in the battle to reinstate workplace injury regulations similar to those implemented by President Clinton but quickly nullified by President Bush in 2001.

The new proposal doesn’t attempt to reinstate the Clinton regulations at this time, but it does put the issue back on the negotiating table and is expected to quickly revive the ergonomics debate in Washington. Earning immediate support from the AFL-CIO which has been lobbying for a return of ergonomic requirements since Obama’s campaign days, the newly proposed reporting requirement is subject to public comment before it takes effect. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is expected to provide stiff opposition. The country’s largest business lobbying group, the U.S. Chamber fought vigorously against the Clinton era ergonomic regulations arguing that implementation would cost American employers more than $4.2 billion per year.

Frankly, we think opposition to ergonomics is shortsighted. Change is inexorable. The upshot of the health care reform debate is that American medicine must move from the current acute care model to increased preventative care to reign in soaring medical costs and effectively care for America’s aging population. New emphases in health care will increase demand for ergonomic equipment and processes that prevent disabling musculoskeletal injuries. Those who embrace the future early, stand to gain the most.

Time to Review Your Corporate Ergonomic Plan

October is National Ergonomics Month and a good time to review your company’s ergonomic plan and assess new ergonomic needs. Ergonomics protects the health and safety of your workers, increases worker productivity and dramatically reduces on-the-job injuries and their associated costs. Ergonomically designed equipment and procedures seek to minimize muscle-straining manual pushing, pulling, reaching and stretching activities. Ergonomic equipment is proven to reduce potentially debilitating musculoskeletal injuries. Implementation of an ergonomic program and use of ergonomic equipment is also proven to reduce absenteeism, lost man-hours, direct medical costs and disability claims.

A long-time national leader in the innovative design and manufacture of ergonomically-designed material handling equipment, DJ Products can offers expert assistance in meeting your company’s ergonomic needs. To aid you in developing an ergonomic program, we provide a handy Ergonomic Load Calculator on our website. Use it to calculate the amount of force necessary to move typical loads in your work environment. Our expert ergonomic sales engineers can suggest ergonomic solutions to your material handling problems.

Want to learn more about the benefits of implementing an ergonomic program in your workplace? This year’s National Ergonomics Conference and Exposition will be held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas November 17-20. Focusing on the importance of ergonomics during economic recovery, ErgoExpo will sponsor educational programs on managing ergonomic programs to maximize return on investment, accommodating the aging workforce, and using ergonomics to increase safety in the workplace. A free webinar from 2-3 p.m. (Eastern) will be offered on Wednesday, October 7, to explain and highlight educational programs to be offered at the expo. Webinar participants will receive a special discount for ErgoExpo. For more information on the conference and to sign up for the webinar, visit the ErgoExpo website.

Ergonomics Addresses Small & Large Features of Material Equipment Use

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.

How Ergonomics Is Shaping Our World

Ergonomics gets a lot of buzz in the press when people talk about computer workstations or keyboard design, but few realize how pervasive the science of ergonomics has become in making our daily lives more functional and more comfortable. From the lowly office chair to high tech electronics, ergonomics has become a critical element in product and systems design.

In conjunction with a new exhibit on ergonomics at London’s Design Museum, BBC News Magazine recently took a look at how ergonomic products impact everyday life and highlighted five ways ergonomics is shaping the world we live in.

At the controls. Controls on automobiles, trucks, material handling equipment, machinery and anything that involves a human operator must be designed to be used by people of all shapes and sizes. Steering and brake controls must be equally useable by 6 ft. 7 in. Kobe Bryants and 4 ft. 9 in. Mary Lou Rettons. Multi-adjustable car seats that move back and forth, up and down and even slant forward and backward are just one example of how ergonomic design impacts our daily lives.

Life or death. The 1979 core meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear power station in Pennsylvania highlighted the extreme danger posed when complex systems intersect human error. Ergonomic redesign of the complex control panels that contributed to the accident created safer nuclear facilities.

Eye candy. With its emphasis on utility, people don’t associate ergonomics with beauty; but the sleek good looks of Apple’s iPod, iPhone and other electronics products owe their beauty to good ergonomic design.

Wrap rage. Poorly designed packaging is the bane of everyday existence. Consumers are injured everyday trying to remove impenetrable wrappings. Ergonomics has sent clamshell plastics packing in favor of cardboard CD wraps and added screw caps to milk cartons.

At work.  From chairs, keyboards and computer mice to material handling equipment that moves supplies, equipment, trash and more, ergonomics has profoundly impacted the workplace.

Star Trek’s Vision of Material Handling Flawed

The legendary television show Star Trek and the franchise’s many spin-offs brought the future to the present. Many of those futuristic gizmos sparked the imaginations of young inventors resulting in tools, electronics and appliances that are commonplace today. So I was surprised to see what looked suspiciously like an ordinary forklift truck creeping along the space dock floor in the newest Star Trek movie. Of course, the good news is that the material handling industry appears to be alive and well in the 24th century. However, with their staggering accident and injury rate, you’d think that engineers of the future would have come up with a more efficient, more cost-effective, more ergonomic tool for moving material and equipment from place to place than antiquated forklifts.

This is one place where the generally forward-thinking minds who envision the Trek universe got it wrong. Even in our century, forklift trucks are already on their slow way out. Spurred by safety issues and high operating and maintenance costs, a growing number of savvy business and industry leaders are choosing to replace their forklifts with safe, fuel-efficient, ergonomically-designed, motorized material handling carts and movers. A few centuries from now, I can envision sleekly-designed material handling movers gliding silently on cushions of air above the floor surface, either completely automated or guided by shiny robots; but primitive forklifts? Surely the material handling industry will have progressed beyond that old dinosaur by then!

Companies that have replaced their forklift trucks with ergonomically-designed motorized carts are already realizing decreased accident/injury rates and enjoying the accompanying significant savings in medical, insurance, worker’s compensation and disability costs. Every year forklift accidents are responsible for 100 worker deaths — 25% from overturns — and more than 20,000 injuries. Ergonomically-designed CartCaddies promote operator control and safety with their walk-behind design, strategically placed ergonomic controls, and easy maneuverability.

And when it comes to maintenance costs, sure to be a factor when you’re building mega-trillion dollar starships, battery-operated CartCaddies win over forklifts hands down. The average annual battery/maintenance cost of operating an ergonomic electric CartCaddy is around $300 per year. Compare that to forklifts where operating and maintenance costs comprise 80% of the total cost of ownership over the life of a unit. Annual forklift fuel costs alone can run from $15,000 for gas and diesel units to $3,000 to $8,000 for electric and battery-operated units.

If you want to experience the future of material handling today, contact a DJ Products ergonomic sales engineer and ask about our full line of CartCaddy products.

Cart Pushers Get the Job Done With Space Constraints

Some jobs require plenty of travel in tight spaces with material – like collecting laundry and linens in small hotels and motels and food distribution/collection in rehabilitation and medical centers.  Moving down narrow hallways and corridors while these carts are empty is a reasonably easy task for one individual – but, take that light and easy to move cart and load it up with dozens of full food trays or a few hundred pounds of soiled linens and suddenly this job becomes a much more difficult task to handle.Due to space and budget constraints, these duties are performed manually by a single employee in many of these environments and with each extra food tray or bed sheet that gets piled in the carts, this job becomes more difficult and more dangerous for that employee to handle.  Most motorized cart pushers and pullers are too large and bulky to maneuver these tight corridors, but the Cart CaddyLite cart pusher from DJ Products can handle the biggest jobs in the smallest spaces because its unique design lets a single user move it freely in even the tightest of quarters.The Cart CaddyLite cart pusher can either push or pull loads of up to one thousand pounds that would normally require manual movement – this reduces the stress and strain on employees and greatly reduces the potential instances of workplace injury.These jobs are also customarily performed at whatever speed the employees are capable of performing them, and usually when the cart is fuller and heavier the pace slows.  The Cart CaddyLite cart pusher allows any employee to operate quickly and efficiently through the entirety of these tasks, because the material will move as easily when the cart is full as it did when it was empty.  The Cart CaddyLite from DJ Products gives users the safety, power and convenience of a large powered cart in a smaller and more versatile package.

Ergonomics and Obesity in the Workplace

In “Safety 2012: Ergonomic Strategies for Managing Obesity in the Workplace,” EHS Today provides tips for employers who may have noticed that expanding waistlines have had an impact on some employees’ ability to get their work done. While you cannot tell your workers how to eat or make sure that they are getting enough exercise outside of work, you can provide ergonomic material handling equipment, like cart movers, to prevent injury on the job.

According to EHS Today, “increased obesity in the workplace means more arthritis, larger waist circumferences, additional work limitations, compromised grip strength, decreased lower limb mobility and medical risks.”

In addition to this, “Obesity also can impact self-esteem, motivation, absenteeism, presenteeism, premature mortality and more.”

Having the right equipment to safely complete job tasks, not only cuts down on the possibility of injury; it can also augment worker morale. If the matter of providing the right ergonomic solutions is handled sensitively, there will be no need to indicate that worker obesity is a factor. As an employer, you can simply provide safer equipment to aid employees in being more efficient. Ergonomic solutions can benefit all employees because no matter how much an employee weighs, he or she is subject to injury.

In addition to reducing the possibility of employee injury, you will also be decreasing the likelihood that your products will be damaged or mishandled.

You can call us at 800-686-2651 and our Sales Engineers will be happy to recommend the right material handling solution for your workplace and help you decide if you need custom applications.

Electric Cart Pushers Can Help Hospital Employees Work Efficiently

People who work in a hospital spend a lot of time there but they certainly don’t want to spend a lot of time in the hospital as patients. You can help prevent your employees from experiencing strain and pain as they transport cart through a hospital using an electric cart pusher. You can keep productivity up and avoid having workers on medical leave with the right material handling solutions.

The CartCaddyShorty electric cart pusher is battery powered electric cart pusher designed to have enough power to maneuver a cart through a hospital. It is designed for easy maneuvering and pivoting of your loads. While the CartCaddyShorty electric cart pusher is small, it still has plenty of power to handle most push or pull applications within the hospital industry. This little machine packs a big punch and can usually last for 16 hours or two shifts.

Hospitals are busy environments where efficiency is key. If you work in a hospital, you don’t want to spend time having to make a lot of adjustments to the equipment that has been purchased to make your job easier. The CartCaddyShorty has a spring hitch option and customized attachment—this means that workers will not need to fabricate multiple attachments for the cart or your equipment. Since the CartCaddyShorty’s attachment springs down and upward and attaches firmly to the bottom of the cart, an operator can easily get to work pushing, pulling or maneuvering the cart.

Call us today at 800-686-2651 and talk to a Sales Engineer who’d be happy to give you a recommendation on the material handling solution that will work for your hospital or medical facility.