christopher Harper, Author at DJ Products

North Dakota Offers Safety Grants – Could You Buy a Dumpster Mover?

Does Your Safety Grant Cover a Dumpster Caddy?

As healthcare costs continue to spiral, companies are focusing on preventive measures to help reduce injuries and illnesses. In many cases, government agencies are offering financial incentives as encouragement for employers to implement workplace safety measures.

Promoting Ergonomic Safety in the Workplace

North Dakota administers an ergonomic initiative through the state’s Workplace and Safety (WSI) agency. The goal is to reduce the number of cumulative trauma injuries, which make up 35 percent of claims that were reported in North Dakota over the last five years.

One part of the initiative provides for a safety grant to be issued to qualified employers who participate in the program.

• The process begins when an employer submits an application.

• Once the application is approved, the employer selects a provider from the WSI network to perform an on-site assessment to identify problems, make recommendations and conduct training.

• If any equipment is recommended during the assessment, the employer completes the second part of the application requesting a safety grant.

• Upon approval of the application and completion of signed agreements between both parties, the employer purchases the equipment and submits the paid invoice for reimbursement.

Could You Use Your Safety Grant to Purchase a Dumpster Mover?

Many workplace injuries happen when moving heavy dumpsters by hand. One of our clients explains that a dumpster mover from DJ Products allows this task to be completed by a single person, so it’s like “having another employee on staff.”

Don’t let workplace injuries compromise employee productivity. Visit our website and let our friendly sales engineers help you find the right solution from our comprehensive selection of battery-powered movers and tugs.

Tips to Preventing Back Injuries in Your Warehouse

Preventing Back Injuries

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, back injuries account for almost 20 percent of total workplace injuries and illnesses. Only the common cold causes more loss of manpower hours.

Are Back Injuries Affecting Your Company’s Productivity?

Back injuries negatively impact your company through expensive medical claims and reduced efficiency. Implementing safety tips will reduce the risk of back injuries that lead to temporary or permanent loss of employees.

• Take periodic breaks to stretch your muscles, especially if you spend long periods of time in one position.

• Avoid lifting whenever possible by keeping boxes and other objects up off the floor.

• When you do need to lift, bend your knees and let your legs do the work.

• Pushing is easier on your back than pulling. Use carts and dollies to move heavy objects.

Dumpster Movers from DJ Products Create a Safer Workplace

Dumpsters are some of the heaviest and bulkiest items that need to be moved. One of our clients discovered that this activity was the cause of a high number of workplace injuries, limiting their maintenance staff and impacting resident satisfaction. In response, they changed their policy to require that dumpsters must be moved by two employees unless one was using a battery-powered tug.

Another client found that our dumpster movers are “like having another employee on staff!” Instead of having two employees handle the task, one uses a dumpster mover, which frees up the other to respond to resident requests.

Visit our website and chat with one of our sales engineers to learn more about why our dumpster movers are the solution to your workplace back injury problems.

Will Working with Robots be in Your Future?

With Your Future Workmates be Robots?

Robots with human characteristics have long been featured in science-fiction tales. There’s a good chance that before long employees in your distribution center will be working side-by-side with these “humanoids.”

The New “Face” of Robotics

Robots have been used for industrial applications for more than 50 years, but developers, anticipating the inevitable step toward direct human-machine interaction, have begun adding more “flesh-and-blood” characteristics. These collaborative robots, or “cobots,” are expected to be seen more frequently within the next five to 10 years.

What’s different about cobots? In addition to having a “face,” they have built-in actuators allowing their joints to mimic the movement of a human arm. Force-sensing technology stops a cobot in its tracks whenever it comes into contact with another object.

Benefits of Cobots

• Cobots can move freely around a DC without the directional aids required by traditional robots.

• Instead of using time-consuming programming for activation, co-workers will actually be able to take a cobot by the “hand” and walk it through the steps of an action or procedure.

• Costs are lower thanks to more efficient construction and less need for a supportive infrastructure.

Not surprisingly, there are fears that cobots will eventually replace human workers. Aldo Zini, president and CEO of Aethon Inc., says the 500 cobots they employ handle many of the repetitive manual duties, freeing up employees for more value-added activities.

Save Time and Money with Industrial Tugs from DJ Products

Moving carts and equipment is another task that consumes valuable resources. Our industrial tugs let a single employee move loads up to 50,000 pounds. Call 800.686.2651 to learn more from our experienced sales engineers.

DoD Helps Contractors Steer Clear of Counterfeit Parts

Discerning Whats Real From Fake

When it comes to systems administered and operated by the DoD, integrity is crucial. A malfunction can cost lives, both civilian and military, as well as threaten our country’s security. The DoD recently issued a new rule aimed at preventing the acquisition of counterfeit equipment for DoD contractors.

Maintaining a Trusted Supply Chain

This past August, the Final Rule was announced as an amendment to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement. The rule mandates a “strong preference” for the use of electronic components obtained from original or authorized manufacturers and their resellers.

The Federal Register states that the Final Rule was created for the benefit of both the Government and its contractors. Ensuring the integrity of electronic parts greatly reduces the risk of system failure on aircraft, ships and other military equipment.

What Happens with Non-Authorized Sources?

The Final Rule also contains a contingency clause addressing situations where a contractor has no trusted source for specific electronic parts.

• The contractor must give written notice to the contracting officer regarding proposed use of items from non-trusted sources.

• Upon request, the contractor must offer detailed documentation for their inspection and testing process.

• Contractors must be able to either trace the parts back to the original manufacturer or assume responsibility for authentication.

• These conditions also apply to subcontractors who are unwilling to accept a flow-down of the clause.

Military Material Handling Solutions from DJ Products

Make it easier for your employees to move vehicles, machinery and other heavy-duty equipment for DoD contractors. Visit our website and chat with our sales engineers about our assortment of tugs and pushers for military and DoD applications.

The Trouble with Forklifts

Fork Lift Issues

Staying safe around warehouse equipment is extremely important, especially around large machines such as forklifts. When employees work around forklifts all day, mistakes are bound to happen, making it critical that when they do occur, the results are relatively minor so people won’t get seriously injured.

Forklift Dangers

Even a small-sized forklift is several hundred pounds of mobile steel on a platform controlled by someone prone to human error. The turning radius that a forklift has can make a big difference in how safe it is for the people working around it. Zero-turn models are relatively safer since other employees do not need to clear the space required to make a turn.

How Can the Danger be Mitigated?

One of the best ways to help keep your employees safe is to use a lift that has the power of a forklift, but allows for a 360 degree line of sight for the operator. These lifts typically tend to be smaller, but should cut down on accidents greatly thanks to their lower center of gravity and the fact that they can safely stop in a much shorter distance.

At DJ Products, we aim to make industrial facilities safer and more efficient with the use of our line of warehouse equipment designed to be smaller but still powerful. For more information about how you can reduce accidents in your workspace, give us a call at 1-800-686-2651 or visit us on our website.

Rethinking Tactics for Warehouse Storage and Handling

Warehousing

Savvy consumers and a fiercely competitive marketplace have created a demand for condensed delivery schedules, with buyers thinking in terms of days instead of weeks. As a result, companies are using new strategies to streamline putaway and storage functions.

Have you implemented any of these procedures in your warehouse?

Crossdocking

Crossdocking involves moving product directly from the inbound dock to an outbound trailer without putting it in your physical inventory. This process frees up warehouse space while reducing the amount of handling required. In order to realize maximize benefits, appropriate systems should be installed.

Pre-Allocation

Instead of storing products in different warehouse areas or even different DCs based on distribution channels, companies are using one common inventory. Products are then pre-allocated and batched ahead of time to allow for different value-added services.

Supplementing with Automation

Labor is a major expense, and competition for manpower presents a challenge in finding skilled workers. Companies are augmenting their workforces with automated storage and retrieval solutions to improve efficiency and control labor costs.

Single Locations

Sometimes old-school techniques are still relevant. With e-commerce creating the need to maintain increasing numbers of SKUs, placing a single carton in a single location makes it easier for employees to quickly access specific products.

Save Time and Labor with Warehouse Tugs from DJ Products

Minimize material handling time with our battery-powered warehouse tugs. Ergonomically designed pushers like our CartCaddy5WP enable a single employee to smoothly and efficiently transport and maneuver loads up to 10,000 pounds. Call 800.686.2651 and let our friendly sales engineers help you find the best solution for your company’s needs.

Some Plastics Become Trash as They Are No Longer Profitably Recycled

Some Plastics End Up in Trash if They Are Not Properly Recycled

Americans have long been educated about the importance of recycling as a means of preserving the environment, but many don’t realize that it’s also a lucrative commodities business. Today, though, companies are seeing their profits dry up due to low crude oil and natural gas prices.

Falling Fuel Prices Cause Dwindling Recycling Profits

Fracking in Texas and other shale-rich parts of the country has resulted in significantly lower fuel prices. Over the past two years, crude oil has dropped nearly 60 percent while natural gas has dropped just over 40 percent. The cost of raw materials is now competitive with recycled materials, and even less expensive in some cases.

Effects on Recyclers and Municipal Clients

Most recycling is done for environmental reasons, so that segment sees no drop-off due to the price changes. Municipalities that count on recycling profits to pay their trash removal costs are bearing the brunt of the downturn.

The second-quarter report from Waste Management, the country’s largest trash collecting company, revealed a $5 million loss in recycling revenues largely caused by lost or renegotiated contracts in several cities. In order to remain profitable, recycling companies are being forced to reduce paybacks to contracted municipalities or even begin charging fees.

Improve Efficiency with a WasteCaddy Dumpster Mover from DJ Products

Recycling and trash removal are cumbersome but necessary tasks for every business. Our WasteCaddy dumpster mover lets a single employee easily maneuver waste bins, even up and down inclines or across snow and ice. Visit our website and chat with our sales engineers to find the best solution for your dumpster and material handling needs.

Warehouse Safety Tips Include a Focus on Education and Ergonomics

Proper Ergonomics can Keep Your Employees Safe, Healthy and Happy

Warehouse management needs safe, repeatable processes in order to reduce injury risks. It’s not enough to rely on brute strength and lumbar belts! This is why warehouses implement proactive changes — from stepping up training protocol to bringing in automated equipment like our industrial tugs.

Educating Workers About Warehouse Safety

Train and frequently remind your workers about the most common warehouse injuries. Key issues for your team to discuss:

• Slips and falls: Messy warehouses cause falls, often when workers carry items and cannot see the ground below.

• Forklift and equipment injuries: Even after training and certificates are obtained for operating heavy machinery, each worker should review instructions periodically.

• Unreported dangers: Workers should have an avenue for reporting hazards like chemical fumes and faulty equipment.

• Untrained staff: Don’t skimp on training or let veteran employees miss safety meetings.

Ergonomics to Prevent Warehouse Injuries

Ergonomics refers to tools and methods that have been designed to suit a task. The more you manage ergonomics, the fewer injuries you can expect.

Warehouse equipment is one obvious area to consider ergonomics. For example, you might see a warehouse worker hunched over while strenuously pushing a wheeled cart. This almost guarantees a back injury. Ergonomic industrial tugs remove most of the physical burden and let the worker stay in a comfortable position.

Lifting techniques can also be designed for ergonomics. Heavy items that get moved should be a few feet off the ground so the worker does not have to bend all the way over repetitively.

Next steps: refresh safety training at your warehouse and bring in motorized industrial tugs for better ergonomics.

Top Warehouse Hazards and How to Solve Them

Prevent Warehouse Accidents

Injuries may seem like just another part of the job at warehouses, but in most cases it doesn’t have to be that way! Proper training, tools, and technique help avoid what the folks at Premier Handling Solutions have identified as some of the top warehouse safety hazards:

• Slips & Falls: Use guardrails and non-slip floor pads. Train workers to know that most warehouse slips don’t happen because of spilled liquid, and they don’t need to be working at height to fall — debris and awkward maneuvering often lead to slips and falls.

• Equipment Danger: Workers get comfortable with their tools, but everyone should remain aware that heavy machinery must be handled carefully. Use button-operated industrial tugs with brakes and other automated equipment that is easy to control.

• Lifting, Reaching, Carrying: Carrying and moving items causes musculoskeletal stress — especially when performed repetitively. Learn proper lifting techniques and design tasks to avoid awkward movements like grabbing heavy items from above shoulder level. Use motorized equipment rather than manual push carts.

• Lack of Safety Protocol: Employees should have tools and knowledge to help deal with fires, hazardous waste, and other emergency situations. Hold meetings regularly and post signs with important info in easy-to-see locations.

These hazards can all be minimized with smart planning, regular training, and tools that reduce the physical risks of warehouse jobs.

Our industrial tugs can be used to move tons of weight, including customized solutions for parts, pallets, lumber, or towing other equipment. Our tuggers and cart pullers are operated with a push of a button — starting, stopping, and maneuvering easily to prevent many of the biggest hazards in the warehouse.

Hospitality Industry: Tips on Preventing Back Injuries

Hotel staff face many of the same injury risks as warehouse and shipping workers — especially when it comes to the repetitive tasks of moving equipment and supply carts. Proper techniques and ergonomic hospitality industry carts help reduce the risk of back injuries and upper body fatigue.

Here are some tips from Oklahoma State University researchers that hospitality staff should keep in mind when training and managing employees:

Store all items on shelves. Supply closets should always make use of shelving to keep items up off the ground.

Place heavy items in the easy lifting zone. The heaviest items should be placed at waist level to reduce back strain when picking them up. Items close to the floor or above the head should be the lightest weight items.

Bend at the knees. Like a baseball catcher getting into position, workers should squat to pick things up by bending at the knees with the feet at shoulder width.

Get a good grip. Reaching out and grabbing things with the fingertips sends more stress through the upper body than firmly grasping objects with the whole hand.

Face forward. When loading up a cart, workers should face the item being picked up and then turn (not twist) to face the cart.

Use motorized carts. Hotel workers who push or pull supply carts up and down the hallways face back injury risk from long-term, repetitive stress. Hospitality industry carts with motorized operation take this out of the equation.

For help reducing back injuries among employees, follow our blog for materials handling tips and check out DJProducts.com for info about ergonomic hospitality industry carts.

Author: christopher Harper