Tag: ergonomics

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.

Moved Wheeled Equipment Safely with Powered Movers

Have wheels, will travel? This phrase may apply to people with cars but it does not necessarily apply to carts used in industrial and warehouse settings. Sometimes moving even well designed wheeled equipment and machinery is no simple task. This is where a power tugger or cart mover from DJ Products can make a big difference. Our material handling solutions make it possible for one operator to move heavy-duty wheeled equipment with a reduced risk of injury.

With carts that are heavy but don’t seem ridiculously heavy, there is the temptation to go ahead and push or pull it—just get a couple of workers and the job will be done, right? Well, maybe. The job might be done…but your employees may experience damaging muscle strain afterwards.

A DJ Products CartCaddyShorty power tugger is a motorized cart mover manufactured to help transport carts or equipment that require turning and that can typically be pushed or pulled with one or two people. Perhaps if workers pushed or pulled these loads once or twice they’d be okay. But when a few workers repeatedly strain to transport heavy loads at work, this can take its toll on their musculoskeletal system.

Our CartCaddyHD cart mover can be used to maneuver carts or equipment of up to 50,000 pounds forwards or backwards as needed. It has a mover arm that can be used for a variety of carts and equipment so your employees won’t need to spend time trying to fashion different attachments.

Call us at 1-800-686-2651 to talk to a Sales Engineer about these and other material handling solutions for your business.

Your Turn to Talk: Where Do You Stand on Ergonomic Debate?

We’ve spent some time this week talking about the changing climate in Washington with regard to ergonomics and ergonomic legislation. On the campaign trail, President Obama repeatedly promised workers a healthier, safer workplace, saying he would use the full weight of his office to attack the problem of musculoskeletal injuries. Confirmation this week Hilda Solis as Obama’s new Labor secretary is expected to get the ball rolling.

Despite the fact that ergonomic systems and equipment have been repeatedly proven to significantly reduce worker injury and the exorbitant medical, insurance, disability and lost man-hour costs associated with musculoskeletal injuries, recent news reports give the impression that business owners fear the financial burden of government-regulated ergonomics. Admittedly, as one of the nation’s premier manufacturers of ergonomically-designed electric carts and motorized cart pushers, DJ Products is a bit biased on the subject. However, our considerable experience with customers from large manufacturers to small business owners indicates that rather than fearing ergonomics, savvy businessmen are embracing it, not only to protect the health and safety of their employees, but to streamline production and reduce production costs. In our experience, most purchasers of our ergonomic carts, tugs and movers recoup their investment within the first year, noting savings in medical and production costs.

In news reports of ergonomic panic, the leadership of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce appears to be fanning the flames of dissent. The chamber cites cost and potential for abuse (i.e., paying the cost of worker injuries suffered off the job) as its two main reasons for opposition. There are always some people who will try to abuse the system, but we don’t imagine that abuse will be any greater with ergonomic rules than without them. If potential abuse were the deciding factor, there wouldn’t be any government programs, so this argument is negligible.

The issue of cost, particularly in the current economy, is, of course, a consideration. However, throughout industrial history, new innovations have required some re-tooling to reap greater profit. With ergonomics, considerable benefits can be realized from minor changes: a change in position, routine or tool placement. Ergonomic equipment can be introduced gradually, a sector at a time, allowing businesses to realize immediate gains without tremendous financial outlay.

The chamber argues that regulation is unnecessary because businessmen recognize the value of ergonomics and are implementing programs without government intervention. If that’s true, then what’s the harm in regulation? The fact is that forward-thinking businessmen do recognize the value of ergonomics and they are integrating ergonomics into their operations. But many are not and their workers suffer so government acts for the common good.

But enough from us, we want to hear from you on this issue. Where do you stand on the ergonomic debate? Let us know and we’ll share your thoughts with our readers.

Ergonomic Material Handling Solutions Improve Productivity

In our last post we talked about coming trends in warehousing. More companies are starting to outsource certain functions, such as logistics, as part of a program to increase efficiency and improve productivity. Outsourcing allows you to focus on your primary business model instead of stretching your resources to include secondary but essential functions such as logistics. The astute businessperson will realize that outsourcing is but one element of what must be a multi-directional effort to tighten efficiency and improve productivity in these difficult economic times.

Making a careful assessment of material handling equipment usage and associated costs — both direct and indirect — can have a significant affect on your bottom line.

  • With the cost of diesel fuel and gasoline going through the roof, replacing outdated equipment with fuel-efficient electric and battery-powered equipment can save thousands of dollars in fuel costs.
  • Replacing bulking, difficult to move equipment with highly maneuverable powered carts and tugs can improve workplace safety and worker morale and decrease lost man-hours from absenteeism and injury.
  • Installing ergonomically designed pushers, pullers and carts can save thousands of dollars a year in decreased medical, insurance and disability costs resulting from musculoskeletal injuries.
  • Implementing ergonomic practices in the workplace can improve worker morale considerably while increasing efficiency and productivity significantly. Retraining staff to utilize recognized ergonomic practices generally produces an immediate savings from reduced worker injuries and associated medical costs.

DJ Products specializes in providing affordable ergonomic solutions to material handling applications. Our highly trained staff can assist you in assessing your material handling needs and design solutions tailored to the specific needs of your business. For more information, visit the DJ Products website.

MHIA Funds Distribution Ergonomics Research

The Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) has awarded a $50,000 research grant to Ohio State University researchers in Columbus, Ohio. The grant will be used to help fund creation of a research center focused on distribution ergonomics. Provided through MHIA’s College Industry Council on Material Handling Education, the grant represents MHIA’s maiden effort in direct funding of material handling and logistics research.

In their award-winning grant application, Dr Carolyn Sommerich and Dr. Stephen Lavender of OSU proposed:

  • To create a research center that develops and devaluates ergonomic methods, tools and processes that will allow distribution center workers to work more safely and efficiently; and
  • To develop partnerships between regional distribution centers and material handling equipment manufacturers to assist the distribution centers in becoming workplaces of excellence via the proper utilization of ergonomics and lean engineering.

“MHIA is proud to support this important research which will contribute significantly to the body of knowledge on ways to improve the safety and productivity of warehouses and distribution centers,” said Daniel Quinn, MHIA Vice Chairman for Education Planning & Professional Development. “Going forward MHIA is anxious to support research such as this which will benefit the safety and productivity of factories and warehouses in the United States.”

In making the grant announcement, MHIA voiced a commitment to supporting material handling and facility logistics research and teaching in the future. Increased funding will be available for such research in the 2009-10 academic year. A call for proposals is expected to go out late this year.

DJ Products applauds MHIA’s new initiative. We recognize the importance of ergonomics in the workplace and are dedicated to the design and production of ergonomic material handling solutions. Visit the DJ Products website for more information about ergonomic products that can make your plant or business safer, more efficient and more productive.

Shopping Cart Retriever Allows Retailers to Focus on Customers

During the holidays, they’re particularly noticeable. The bundled up teens sloshing through the slush in search of errant shopping carts left stranded by harried holiday shoppers. They struggle to push them into long, snaking lines and over ruts of ice and snow, muscling them from side to side as they push them toward the store where shoppers wait impatiently to grab one and hit the aisles.

Shopping cart retrieval is a perennial problem for retailers across the country, but especially during the busy holiday shopping season. Each moment you keep your customers waiting for a cart adds to their frustration, not exactly the feeling of good will you’re trying to promote during the make-or-break holidays. You want your customers pushing their cart through the aisles of your store, filling it will all kinds of holiday goodies.

And the more staff you have to task to collecting shopping carts, the fewer staff available to wait on anxious customers and ring up their purchases. During your busiest hours when you need your full staff complement working on the floor, sending two or three (and in bad weather, often four or six) employees out to retrieve needed shopping carts can put an unfortunate dent in your ability to serve your customers quickly and effectively. With the poor economy forcing most businesses to cut back on staff, delegating employees to shopping cart retrieval puts an even bigger burden on your staff and taxes the patience of your customers.

DJ Products’ powered shopping cart retriever takes the strain out of gathering shopping carts and delivering them back to the store. A single employee can quickly and easily maneuver up to 50 shopping carts around a parking lot and in the door without assistance, even through parking lots rutted with frozen snow and ice. The ergonomic design of our shopping cart retriever system eliminates the pushing and straining that often causes muscle injury and back strain when employees are forced to maneuver a line of carts manually. Your employees will thank you for making an onerous job easy. Your customers will thank you for keeping maximum staff on the floor to make their shopping experience more pleasant. And your accountant will commend you for finding a cost-effective way to improve efficiency and productivity. It’s a win-win-win scenario. Visit the  DJ Products website to find out more about our shopping cart retrieval system.

Ergonomics Can Help Decrease OSHA Reporting

One way to keep your company out of OSHA’s crosshairs (see our previous post) is to embrace ergonomics. Using ergonomic principles to design equipment, plan workstations and structure task performance has been proven to significantly decrease worker injuries and fatalities. Businesses reap additional benefits in decreased medical, insurance, disability and worker’s compensation costs. Fewer man-hours are lost to injury where ergonomics are practiced.

Lifting, repetitive motion, overextension and overexertion are common injuries in material handling, warehousing and logistics environments.  Injuries to the back, neck, shoulders, hands and wrists can result in serious, long-term disabilities — and the hefty medical and insurance expenses that go with them. Back injury is the most cited injury in worker’s compensation claims. Many of these injuries are preventable when ergonomic equipment and strategies are employed.

Making an investment in ergonomics is making an investment in your workforce. Demonstrating concern in your employees’ health and welfare has a direct and highly positive effect on worker morale and productivity. DJ Products can help you determine your ergonomic needs. Use our handy Ergonomic Load Calculator to estimate the force needed to move loaded carts, castered equipment and wheeled machinery. Our experienced staff can help evaluate your ergonomic needs and recommend ergonomically designed carts and tugs geared to improve the safety of your facility and protect the health of your employees. Your initial investment in ergonomics will be quickly balanced by savings in medical, insurance and disability expenses. Visit our website today for complete information.

Ergonomics Is Back on the Congressional Table

With the Democrats expected to control both the House and Senate come January, ergonomics is back on the Congressional table. In 2001, spurred by business lobbyists, a GOP-controlled Congress killed a Labor Department regulation aimed at reducing ergonomic-related injuries. Heavily supported by Democrats, the measure was, and still is, a top priority for union groups. According to political analysts, it was a stunning defeat for the Clinton White House. With the support of the Bush administration, Republicans have managed to keep the issue off the docket.  However, now that Democratic power is the rise, unions are again pushing for ergonomic regulations.

An internet article on The Hill, a Washington insiders tip sheet, said, “Sen. Barack Obama has promised to issue a new ergonomics regulation as president, and industry officials say they want to be ready for it.”

Chamber of Commerce leaders are mobilizing for a Congressional fight, stating in a recent announcement, “the threat of a new ergonomics regulation has been kept in check by the Republican congressional majorities and the Bush administration. But with the recent shift in power on Capitol Hill, and regardless of who wins the White House, issuing a new ergonomics regulation will once again become a hot issue.”

Naturally, no businessman looks forward to tighter regulations and the time-eating forms, procedures and training that usually accompany them. Particularly in the current economy, we’re all budget conscious and no one’s looking for ways to fritter away more money. But if you look at the statistics, embracing ergonomics makes good business sense.

Workplace injury and illness costs American businesses $171 billion annually. Workers’ compensation claims add another $60 billion to that annual price tag. More than a quarter of those claims are for back injuries from repetitive lifting, pulling, pushing and straining, according to the National Council on Compensation Insurance. OSHA reports that back injuries cost U.S. businesses $12 million in lost workdays and $1 billion in compensation costs each year. The time-lost cost of a single injury is estimated at $26,000.

Ergonomics has been repeatedly proven to significantly reduce back and other repetitive stress injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome. Businesses that institute ergonomic practices and use ergonomically-designed equipment realize immediate and significant reductions in injury rates and associated medical, insurance, disability, workers compensation and lost man-hour costs. Proactive implementation of ergonomic policies improves worker morale and demonstrably increases operations efficiency and productivity. Contact the specialists at DJ Products to find out how ergonomics can improve your business.

Ergonomics Increase Workplace Efficiency

Manufacturers are shutting factories and slashing jobs in an effort to stop the hemorrhaging from the global economic recession. A recession “always hits manufacturing first and hardest,” said Hank Cox, spokesman for the 10,000 member National Association of Manufacturers. “We’re going into a valley” that looks like it’s going to be “long and deep.”

Economic experts compare this recession to the 2000-2003 slowdown during which manufacturing lost 3 million jobs and never really got them back. Greater initial job loss is expected this time around, but there is hope that as the economy improves a greater number of jobs will be reinstated and that the net job loss will be less than in 2003. Until things turn around, though, everyone will have to work a little harder to pick up the slack.

Increasing the efficiency of your workforce can help business owners trim operating costs. Implementing personnel programs to decrease absenteeism has shown good results but doesn’t address the root cause of the problem. Poor working conditions that place unnatural strain on workers’ bodies take both a physical and mental toll on your workforce. Implementing an ergonomic program in your workplace can not only boost employee morale but eliminate costly musculoskeletal injuries and their associated costs.

Ergonomically-designed powered carts and movers relieve workers of the physical strain and discomfort caused by manual performance of pushing, pulling and lifting tasks. Making an investment in your employees’ health and safety improves morale. And where morale is high, worker efficiency has been proven to increase. But these are the indirect benefits of implementing an ergonomics program in your workplace. Direct benefits include an immediate and permanent decrease in expensive musculoskeletal injuries — particularly back injuries — and the high medical, insurance, disability and workers’ compensation costs they entail.

Workplace injury and illness cost U.S. businesses $171 billion a year. Approximately 13.2 million workers every year are injured in the workplace, resulting in $60 billion in workers’ compensation claims annually. According to OSHA estimates, back injuries account for 1 in 5 disabling injuries. Back injuries alone cost American businesses more than $12 million in lost workdays and $1 billion in compensation costs each year. The lost workday cost of a single back injury is estimated at $26,000.

Implementing an ergonomic program in your workplace can dramatically and immediately impact worker efficiency and your bottom line. Most businesses recoup their investment in ergonomic equipment within the first year. For more information on how ergonomic carts and movers can improve efficiency in your workplace, contact the knowledgeable experts at DJ Products today.