In “The Safety Paradox: How Safety and Ergonomics Help and Hurt Each Other at the Same Time,” the writer observes that while safety and ergonomics can lead to the successful completion of a task, these concepts can also make a task more difficult to complete.
“…safety almost always adds more steps into any given task. Thereby decreasing efficiency and lowering the ergonomic quality.
After performing a task analysis, ergonomics may also call for the omission of certain steps or features that may inadvertently be safety related.”
If safety and ergonomics can get in the way of each other, should you try to apply these principles in your workplace? We would say, yes. Remember that when they are applied in the right way, the concepts of safety and ergonomics can work well together. At DJ Products, our mission is to provide material handling solutions that are ergonomically correct, safe and cost effective. Our power tugs and electric utility carts can reduce the injuries that come from manually moving heavy carts and equipment. Rather than adding extra steps to a task, these solutions make it possible to complete that task more efficiently and with less strain.
Our products are battery powered, “walk behind” units that can be maneuvered even in tight, difficult spaces. Since our motorized cart tugs and more manageable than traditional electric equipment like forktrucks, walkies or motorized riding tugs, your employees will not need to use more costly and cumbersome equipment that was designed for a different material handling task.
In the end, your employees are probably less concerned with safety and ergonomics and as concepts and are more concerned with getting their work done and avoiding injury. Material handling solutions from DJ Products provide real-live applications of the concepts of safety and ergonomics that can make your workplace safer and more productive.