Tag: Safety and Ergonomics

Why Do We Need Material Handling Solutions?

If you are new to an industry in which your employees labor in plants and warehouses, you may not be fully aware of the need for material handling solutions to assist with transporting goods. You may think that if you are supplying your employees with carts or trolleys that they should not need more than that to move products or raw materials around. What you may not realize is just how difficult and possibly dangerous it can be to just use a cart in certain situations.

While a cart or trolley may be equipped with casters, this does not mean it is equipped to handle all of the spaces and surfaces where your employees work. Slight inclines and tight corners may make it difficult to maneuver some types of wheeled equipment that would otherwise move with ease.

A tug from DJ Products can help ease possible muscle strain that could occur when an employee attempts to push or pull carts, especially ones with heavy loads. You can use our industrial tuggers to help transport carts with casters, carts that use 4-swivel casters or a wagon-wheel style of turning, and carts in a straight line. Not only can you avoid employee injury, you can also avoid collisions and accidents that might damage valuable raw materials or products.

It is our goal to provide solutions for material handling situations that are ergonomically correct, safe and cost effective. You can feel free to call us at 800-686-2651 if you are unsure as to which material handling solution will work best for you. Our Sales Engineers can provide recommendations. The will also be happy to explore custom applications where our base products match primary criteria.

Get Ergonomic Material Handling Solutions and Retain Older Workers

Some older workers, particularly those who work in jobs that require them to use a certain amount of physical strength, are feeling nervous these days. They worry that if it seems like they cannot handle their work, they may see themselves replaced by younger workers. This fear may cause some older workers to attempt too much in order to prove their value to an organization. They may injure themselves not because they are too old, but because they strain themselves to prove their worth.

Today’s organizations need people of various ages to work together. Older workers have experience and know-how that younger workers do not have; young workers have fresh perspectives that can energize operations. Rather than lose older workers, you can see to it that all of your employees have ergonomic material handling equipment that prevents fatigue, muscle strain, and other injuries. You are probably well aware that it is costly to recruit, hire, and train a slew of new employees, so why not invest in making sure the ones you already have remain on the job?

A DJ Products Power Puller can maneuver in extremely tight spaces and ease the work of transporting hospital carts, laundry carts, maintenance carts and parts carts. These types of carts typically are less than 1500 lbs. and are generally maneuvered manually. Due to the nature of these carts’ uses, some organizations mainly assign elderly employees to maneuver them but our power pullers can also help younger employees as well. If our battery power puller is used, risks of fatigue and injury to valuable workers can be reduced.

Use a Tow Tugger to Transport Carts Safely

DJ Products offers tow tugs like the CartCaddy Shorty that are designed to help workers move heavy carts and equipment efficiently and safely. Our motorized cart movers increase productivity by reducing the number of operators needed to move a heavy cart since tuggers like the CartCaddy Shorty can be operated by one employee.

One employee can move heavy carts and equipment safely with the CartCaddy Shorty because it attaches to the swivel-castered end of a cart and provides the pushing and pulling power necessary for easy turning and intricate maneuvering. It has a variable speed twist grip for forward and reverse directions and can be operated at speeds from from 0 to 3 mph. This means that it can keep up with the operator so he or she will not become frustrated or need to try to yank it or force it to move. Operator frustration such as that can cause problems and our equipment was designed to avoid those kinds of situation.

Another important feature of the CartCaddy Shorty is the safety stop. When the safety stop is activated, the machine stops immediately to prevent any possible injury. We design our equipment to be as safe as possible and to prevent strain, however there are situations that we cannot foresee. This is why an operator has the option of stopping the tugger immediately if necessary.
Sufficient power can also be a safety concern since you do not want to buy equipment that stops working in the middle of the job. The CartCaddyShorty Power Tugger can be operated continuously for 16 hours before you need to recharge it.

Got Power Movers for Industrial Uses? Get Electric Carts for Your Office, Too

At DJ Products, we make a number of material handling solutions that are used in warehouses, hospitals, hotels and a number of other workplaces where workers need to transport heavy loads. And if you are already using our products in these areas, then you know that our power movers and trailer movers eliminate the pain and strain of manually pulling and pushing a heavy cart and wheeled equipment and are also less costly, smaller, and more maneuverable than traditional powered equipment.

But have you also considered using a simple electric cart for other areas of your enterprise? People in your offices may have need of an electric cart for transporting office supplies—boxes of paper, printer cartridges, samples for demonstrations, food orders for group meetings, and presentation materials such as projectors.

Just as you do not want the staff on the industrial side of things becoming strained, you also do not want your office staff hurting themselves either. There is a temptation for people in offices to think that they can just carry heavy loads on their own since they are not doing the kind of heavy lifting that warehouse workers do on a regular basis. They may not have an appreciation for the kind of musculoskeletal strain that carrying a cumbersome load ‘just this once’ can produce.

You and your busy staff will appreciate how our electric cart arrives charged and requires no assembly, so you can put it to use right away. In fact once you have an electric cart for use in the office, you will wonder how you managed without it.

A Powered Cart Can Be Used in a Variety of Workplaces

A powered cart is a versatile piece of equipment that can not only be used in a variety of work environments but can also be used in a myriad number of ways in one workplace. A powered cart can streamline work tasks and reduce the chance of injury in places like: warehouses, hospitals, hotels, resorts, casinos, offices and schools.

The PartsCaddyLite powered cart has enough power to handle most parts-moving applications within a hospital or other hospitality setting, but it is still small and maneuverable enough to be easily pushed through a crowded hallway.

You can use it to move equipment, boxes, books, chairs and other items. This is the kind of thing that will be used constantly in some workplaces, while in others it may not be used every single day but having it on hand will make a huge difference when there is a need to move heavy items from one spot to another.
While a wheeled cart is also useful, there are times when you need something with more power. This is especially true if your workplace has wheeled carts that have been around for a while–with time these carts can become rickety and difficult to maneuver. You do not want employees endangering themselves and risked collisions in narrow spaces. The cart has a variable speed twist grip for forward and reverse directions from 0 to 3 mph.

Watch this video to see the DJ Products PartsCaddyLite in action and you’ll understand just how useful it can be for your business or organization.

The Benefits of Ergonomic Carpet Delivery

In a Dalton Daily Citizen article that extolls the ergonomic benefits of carpet, numerous reasons in favor of softer floor coverings included:

• Employees may experience less pain in their feet, knees, hips, and spine since carpet “cushion the blows and jolts that can occur from even just walking around.” You may not realize it but carpets can contribute to less fatigue and fewer sore joints.

• Using carpet in schools and officers creates better acoustics because sound waves are not bouncing off of floors.

• After spending time chasing little ones around the house, parents benefit from softer floor coverings. And children who like to run around and play will suffer fewer injuries.

The article, which was aimed at people who are in the business of selling carpet, set out to remind those in the industry that the product they sell has many benefits.

We would like to add that for all the ergonomic benefits carpet can produce for homes, schools, and offices, those who deliver carpet should also consider finding ergonomic ways to deliver these benefits.

A powered carpet dolly from DJ Products makes the loading of a carpet roll, a mat, or a rug from a warehouse to the jobsite an effortless job for one person, instead of having it be work that requires 2 or 3 people. And before you imagine that you will need on unbelievably strong person, you should know that our CarpetCaddy eliminates possible injury the installer might get from over extending the body. Also, the size and price of the powered carpet dolly makes it a much safer and more affordable solution than a bulky lift truck.

Moving an Airplane Can Be a Solo Mission with an Aircraft Tug

From the paper airplanes you made as a child to taking a cross-country flight, the ability to see something soar through the air is quite a thrill. When an airplane flies, part of the reason it is able to stay up in the air is that the air moving over the top of it is going at a faster speed that the air that is moving below the plane.

An airplane is a remarkable and rather expensive piece of equipment. For that reason, you can’t just use any old machine to move an airplane around. DJ Products’ airplane tugs make it possible for one person to safely and easily maneuver aircraft in a tightly stacked hanger or staging on a ramp. While you wouldn’t think of moving a plan on your own, you can do so with our aircraft tug. Just like flight, that is nothing short of amazing! One person can push or pull an aircraft that weighs in at up to 35,000 pounds with one of our aircraft tugs.

Our airplane tugs have a smooth acceleration and braking system. And the quiet electric motor means that the person operating the airplane tug will not be distracted by noise and can concentrate fully on the task of getting the aircraft from point A to point B.

While we focus on providing ergonomically correct, safe, and cost effective solutions to transport some of your most important products, we have a lighter side too. You can customize your aircraft tug or aircraft tow with a custom logo if you wish. There is no reason that your equipment can’t be useful, safe, and fun all at the same time.

Trailer Movers: Small Products that Make a Big Difference

The DJ Products Trailer Mover is a little piece of equipment that can do big things.
You don’t need something the size of a trailer to move a trailer. What you do need is a material handling solution that has been ergonomically designed to prevent the pain and strain that may otherwise occur when someone tries to move a trailer on their own or with the wrong equipment.

It can be tempting to think that you or one of your employees can just move a trailer a short distance but taking on such as task can cause more damage than you may realize. First, overextending the body when you manually lift and move a trailer from one location to another can cause significant strain on the body…the kind of strain that may seem to go away, only to flare up later. Second, trying to move a trailer, boat, or RV without adequate equipment may cause damage to whatever is in the surrounding area. You can overestimate the amount of control you have over large objects and not realize until it is too late that you did not have the grip or space needed to really maneuver something as large and as heavy as a trailer.

Our TrailerCaddy trailer mover can push or pull an RV, a camper, an equipment trailer or a boat. It is less bulky than traditional electric trailer puller products and offers increased control in tight areas. You can use our trailer mover to move a trailer or boat across a parking lot or just a short distance in a showroom.

Ergonomic Scissor Lifts You Can Use Safely

In addition to its industrial uses, the scissor lift has been in the news this year for its role in charitable endeavors. In some cities, scissor lifts are being used to store good donated for families in need. And in Washington state, a veteran spent eight days living on a scissor lift “to raise money and awareness for homeless veterans.” His efforts brought in $4,000 and at the end he said was glad to back down on the ground again.

A scissor lift can take people to heights they would not be able to reach on their own. The key is making sure that a person can both be lifted and get back down safely. It is one thing to watch someone being lifted on or using a scissor lift but another thing entirely to be the one entrusting your safety to a manufacturer and your coworkers. We have made many different sizes and shapes of mobile electric lift tables for various applications that, when combined with our PartsCaddy mobile platform truck, eliminate the manual pushing of pulling of these tables with loads on them. And with our mobile electric lift you get 16 hours of continuous use batteries—plenty of battery life to usually last two shifts.

DJ Products offers industrial ergonomic material handling electric carts, including pushers, pullers, and equipment industry that eliminate the strain of manually pulling heavy products, parts carts, or wheeled equipment, or eliminate a bulky, expensive lift truck. You can count on us for:

• Carts with casters
• Carts with 4-swivel casters or wagon-wheel style of turning
• Carts in a straight line
• Platform Trucks & Scissor Lifts

Moving a Plane Can Be a Solo Mission with an Aircraft Tug

Do you fly planes as a hobby or does your workplace make use of small aircraft on a regular basis? Before you can begin to fly high, you often need to transport your aircraft to the right place on the ground, but you are not likely to fly the plane to where it needs to be. This is where an aircraft tug or helicopter tug from DJ products can be very useful. We specialize in battery powered tug and tugger solutions that eliminate the strain of manually pulling and pushing heavy equipment, including aircraft.

Now, you may be thinking, that’s great, but how can one person push or pull an aircraft? Well, with an ergonomic material handling solution from DJ Products, you can. Our aircraft tug can easily push or pull an airplane that weighs up to 35,000 pounds, while our helicopter tug can push, pull, or tow a helicopter that weighs up to 15,000 pounds. Watch this video to see how one person can use the DJ Products AirCraftCaddy to push and pull an aircraft without assistance from another person.

Like all of our material handling solutions, our aircraft tugs are designed with maneuverability, ergonomics, affordability, and productivity in mind. You can move an airplane through a hangar and even past other aircraft without worrying about losing control of the plane. You also need not be concerned that you will put strain and stress on your muscles. Our aircraft tugs are available at affordable prices as well, so you don’t have to worry about the strain on your budget.