Tag: Material Handling

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.

OSHA Stepping Up Enforcement Efforts

While comprehensive action probably won’t occur until a permanent head of OSHA is named sometime this fall, the feds are gearing up for an expected battle on ergonomics. In addressing an assembly of safety professionals Monday, Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor Jordan Barab said, “You are not alone. We have your back and your fight is our fight . . . there’s a new sheriff in town.”

The Obama administration seems poised to make good on the President’s campaign promise to toughen ergonomic standards and beef up enforcement to ensure safe working conditions for the nation’s workers. According to the online edition of OH&S, a magazine targeting occupational health and safety professionals, OSHA will continue its Voluntary Protection Programs, but is initiating what Barab called safety inspector “SWAT teams” that can be sent into areas in force to insure compliance with OSHA standards. OSHA’s first SWAT teams are poised to sweep through Texas in the coming weeks to add muscle to the U.S. Department of Labor’s construction enforcement program.

According to OH&S, Barab also said OSHA is reviewing behavior-based incentive programs. OSHA is concerned that such programs punish workers who report workplace injuries, thus encouraging non-reporting of accidents and injuries.

Ergonomics will be back on the table after measures introduced during the Clinton years were swept away by the Bush administration. Barab acknowledged the challenges OSHA will most likely face in any attempt to implement ergonomic standards, saying, “It’s a big political football that others don’t want on the field.” He urged safety professionals to lobby their congressmen to vote for the passage of tough ergonomic standards.

Statements made by Barab seem to indicate that OSHA is in the process of revamping its entire standards process. During his speech, he called on safety professionals to share their experiences and expertise with the agency, saying, “OSHA compliance standards, as far as I’m concerned is the floor, they’re irrelevant. You all know better than we do how to move on.” Barab also warned that the agency plans to revise its penalty structure, making good its threat to criminalize grievous non-compliance. “We’re looking at what we can do under the law to increase those penalties . . . and, where it’s appropriate, introduce criminal penalties, as well,” Barab said.

Smart business owners will act proactively to forestall coming under OSHA’s scrutiny by upgrading to ergonomic material handling equipment now and implementing ergonomic practices. To find out how you can protect the health and safety of your workers and make a positive impact on your bottom line, contact a DJ Products’ sales engineer today to find out what ergonomically-designed material handling products can do for your business.

Part 1: How Much Can Ergonomics Save Your Business?

As Congress debates passage of a health care reform bill, the potential cost of meeting new health care requirements is causing some consternation in the business community. Small business owners in particular are concerned that new federal income surtaxes may take too big a chomp out of profitability. Some are even worried that too big a health insurance bite could force them out of business. Among other things, the current plan could cost small businesses 5.4% in new health care taxes and levy payroll taxes of as much as 8% on other businesses. Of course, who knows what the final bill will actually look like, but taking proactive measures would seem to be a wise move.

Implementing an ergonomic plan now and switching to ergonomically designed material handling equipment is a proven way to lower workplace injury rates and significantly decrease the need for medical services. Lower risks mean lower insurance costs. The day is coming when businesses that use ergonomics may enjoy special discounts like homeowners now receive for installing security systems and smoke detectors. It’s something business owners might want to address with their insurers.

Back injuries account for more workers’ compensation claims than any other workplace injury. They are just one of a class of injuries termed musculoskeletal disorders that involve injury to the body’s connective tissues. These injuries to muscles, nerves, tendons, joints, cartilage or spinal discs account for no less than one-third of U.S. workplace injuries, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The cost of a musculoskeletal injury goes beyond immediate medical care. Often extensive — and expensive — physical therapy or other post-injury care is required. On average, workers miss more work days for musculoskeletal injuries than for any other type of workplace injury. Once workers return to the job, the incidence of reinjury is high and many will be unable to fulfill their originally assigned duties. Particularly if reinjury occurs, there is a high risk of permanent disability.

Part 2 on Monday

Why Are Ergonomics Important?

We’ve been getting back to basics in our last couple of posts on the history of ergonomics and ergonomic terms, reviewing what ergonomics is for those new to our blog. But why are ergonomics so important in the workplace? Three reasons:

  1. Ergonomics improves worker health and safety.
  2. Ergonomics increases productivity and work quality.
  3. Ergonomics saves money.

Health & safety. People come in all shapes and sizes, but until the advent of ergonomics, material handling equipment was one size fits all. Except the problem was that it didn’t fit all people. Workers taller or shorter than the fictional “average man” to whose size and shape equipment was designed had to reach and stretch or hunch and bend to reach and manipulate equipment controls, to load and off-load product or materials, or to push and pull carts from one work station to another. All that stretching and scrunching around puts stress on the body’s muscles, joints and tendons. Backs become sore, arms and legs tire more quickly, and neck and shoulder muscles start to ache. At first the body heals itself, repairing minor muscle tears, but repetitive stress simply doesn’t allow enough time between exertions for the body to heal. Muscles, tendons and joints can be damaged. Called musculoskeletal injury, this damage can become permanent over time, resulting in permanent disability.

Ergonomics addresses this problem through flexible, adjustable design that allows equipment to be adjusted to the size of each individual worker, ensuring ideal positioning and maximum operator comfort during work tasks for every worker. A national leader in the manufacture of ergonomically-designed motorized carts, DJ Products incorporates a host of important ergonomic features into its material handling products, including:

  • Heavy-duty, battery-operated motors easily move loads up to 50,000 pounds, removing the need to physically push and pull carts.
  • Scissor lifts quickly position materials at the proper height for each individual worker.
  • Well-positioned ergonomic twist-grip hand controls prevent carpal tunnel syndrome by minimizing wrist movement.
  • A variable-speed feature incorporated into the twist grip allows operators to safely control cart speed between 0 and 3 mph while moving either forwards or backwards.
  • A conveniently placed safety stop switch permits instant stops in case of emergency.
  • Added weight over the drive tires creates greater traction, allowing the handling of heavier loads.
  • A specially designed connecting arm allows loads to pivot a full 180 degrees, ensuring safe turning without jackknifing.
  • Walk- or ride-behind equipment construction provides clear sight lines for safe operator control.

Coming up: How ergonomics increases productivity & quality and
Financial rewards reaped by employing ergonomics

Shopping for Ergonomic Material Handling Solutions

Is getting material handling solutions part of your responsibility at work? And are you wondering how you will find the solutions that will fit the bill?

If you are looking for Ergonomic Material Handling Solutions, then DJ Products most likely has something for you. You don’t want to just get any solutions; you want to get equipment that will minimize the chances of injury and help streamline work processes.

Need to move trailers?
Our TrailerCaddy trailer mover is ideal for moving trailers down a manufacturing line or in a congested storage area.

Need to move cars or trucks without damaging them?
The CarCaddy car pusher helps you move a car, truck, bus or RV in tight spaces without strain and without a ton of people.

Need to move waste containers or dumpsters?
Waste containers are not only bring on potential ergonomic injury, they sometimes also may come with unpleasant odors. You can move waste containers efficiently and safely with our waste container and dumpers solutions.

Need to move carts for laundry and other things in a hospital or hotel environment?
Our ergonomic Hospital Material and Hotel and Hospitality Movement Solutions can help your employees handle maneuvering in tight areas with pedestrian traffic. These solutions have a more appealing appearance that similar products and they are designed for lighter materials.

Need material handling solutions for military or DOD applications?
We know that you may have specific needs and we are here to help you address those needs for maneuvering vehicles, trailers, boats and wheeled equipment.

These are just some of the possible applications for our material handling solutions. Call us at 800-686-2651 and our Sales Engineers will be happy to explore custom applications.

Material Handling Education Foundation Supports Higher Learning

Material handling, logistics and supply chain are cornerstones of today’s business world. Companies continually seek improvement in these areas to achieve maximum profitability without sacrificing safety and environmental concerns. The Material Handling Education Foundation plays an important role in these goals by promoting education and student achievement.

The Foundation was established in 1976 for the purpose of distributing funds from private and corporate donations to students, teachers and schools. Since its inception, more than $2 million in scholarships and grants have been awarded. Focus is on the following fields of study:

  • Industrial, mechanical, electrical and civil engineering
  • Engineering technology
  • Computer engineering, computer science and business administration (concentration on distribution, supply chain and logistics)

Students who have completed at least two years of study are eligible to apply. They must also be currently enrolled in an undergrad or graduate program or demonstrate proof of plans to enroll. Finally, they must have a minimum B average in their post-secondary studies.

One of the most recent scholarship winners is Bailey Hofland, a mechanical engineering student at South Dakota State University. She has spent her summer vacations working for 3M, most recently as an engineering intern. Ms. Hofland has been involved in several projects, including one involving the improvement of a production status board that tracks output, downtime and attainment.

DJ Products is proud to be a member of such a vital and progressive industry. Our Team Cart Caddy solutions contribute to greater workplace efficiency along with improved worker safety. Please call 800.686.2651 to learn more from our friendly, helpful Sales Engineers. Our online chat feature is also available for immediate assistance.

Part 2: How Much Can Ergonomics Save Your Business?

As we began discussing Friday, pending health care reform could wind up taking a big bite out of businesses’ bottom lines. Businessmen who take proactive measures to bring down medical costs today will realize significant savings going forward. As we noted in our last post, largely preventable musculoskeletal injuries account for 33% of workplace injuries.

In 2007, U.S. workers suffered 335,390 musculoskeletal injuries requiring a median nine days away from work. National Safety Council statistics for 2008 list the following medical costs for common musculoskeletal injuries:

$15,313 – Upper back
$23,820 – Lower back
$12,726 – Hand, finger, wrist
$21,577 – Arms, wrist, shoulder

And that doesn’t include the cost of missed work days, insurance, workers’ compensation, disability, decreased productivity or low morale. Ergonomics can drastically reduce and generally all but eliminate the risk of musculoskeletal injury. Ergonomics is the science of adapting the equipment to fit the worker. Ergonomics recognizes the breadth of human differences and designs equipment that will accommodate those differences while supporting worker performance. The result is decreased injuries, improved productivity and increased worker morale. Costs go down and profits go up.

All this from a simple, well-designed piece of material handling equipment. Except there’s nothing simple about ergonomic design. Hours of careful observation, consultation, statistical analysis and engineering expertise go into the ergonomic design of each of DJ Products’ powered tugs and motorized carts. Every element in our ergonomic material handling equipment is strategically placed for optimal efficiency and ease of operation by the widest possible pool of workers. DJ Products’ ergonomic carts and tugs significantly decrease the risk of worker injury. Many of our customers report recouping their investment well within the first year of operation.

Don’t wait for health care costs to gobble up your profits. To learn how you can proactively reduce workplace injury, talk to one of DJ Products’ ergonomic experts today.

Introducing the Chain Drive Cart Caddy

How many of your employees does it take to move 50,000 pounds worth of product? If you’re using the Chain Drive CartCaddy from DJ Products, the answer is only one. This heavy-duty tug is one of the most powerful in our line of battery-powered material handling solutions.

Thanks to the 2,000 pounds of horizontal push and pull force generated by its 6 hp motor, this tug lets you do away with fork lifts and other traditional movers. Do your loads require a lot of turning and maneuvering through tight aisles? Addition of the Power Mover attachment allows for a full 90 degree turning radius.

Like all our products, the Chain Drive CartCaddy is designed with employee safety in mind. Features such as the variable speed twist grip help to prevent repetitive stress injuries that are all too common in material handling. There is also a safety stop switch on the back of the tug in case of emergencies.

Our Chain Drive CartCaddy is powered by three 12-volt batteries with enough life to usually last through two shifts. It smoothly accelerates up to 2 mph in both forward and reverse, preventing frustration due to lag time waiting for the mover to catch up with the operator.

Regardless of the size of your company or warehouse, we have a full range of material handling solutions to fit any applications. Let our friendly Sales Engineers assist you in finding the correct answer for your needs. Call 800.686.2651 or use our convenient online chat feature and become a member of Team CartCaddy today.

Ergonomic Mobile Applications

We recently read about a mobile app that was designed to help improve ergonomics in the workplace. With this app, people can see photos different postures that might lead to injury at work and get information on ways to improve posture as well as learn about exercises they can do at work to reduce injury. This is a great way to increase awareness about the importance of correct posture.

However, before the term “app” was used to refer to programs created for mobile devices, it was part of word “application.” And for some people, a mobile app will not be enough to reduce injury in the workplace but a mobile application that they can use as they complete their work tasks can make all the difference.

A DJ Products Industrial Power Mover can eliminate the strain of manually pulling heavy products, parts carts and wheeled equipment. Our material handling solutions or “mobile apps” can also eliminate bulky, expensive lift trucks.

Our CartCaddy power movers comes in many different shapes and sizes to handle wheeled applications that operate with racks, carts, and casters. They are designed to move with employees so they do not have to overexert themselves to push or pull in ways that can damage the musculoskeletal system.

If you have seen a number of workers who need to go on disability due to injuries that relate to ergonomic issues, isn’t it time to apply a different kind of material handling solution?

Call us at 1-800-686-2651 so we can help you find material handling solutions that fit your workplace.

Introducing New Hospitality Applications for Motorized Carts

Business owners must constantly be preparing for coming changes and watching for new trends and products. That’s the reason this blog devotes space to those issues, as we have in the past week. As the country’s leading manufacturer of ergonomically-designed motorized material handling carts, we’ve learned that staying competitive in U.S. industry requires not only the flexibility and willingness to embrace new ideas, but the innovative thinking to see new applications for your products in the workplace. Innovative applications of DJ Products’ ergonomic carts originally developed for health care and manufacturing markets have opened new opportunities in the hospitality industry. When you visit our website, you’ll find a new product category for Motorized Carts for Hospitality, Hotel, and Industrial Environments. 

DJ Products has found that many of the same tasks performed in hospital and industrial settings are also performed by employees at hotels, motels, resorts and casinos. All must push heavy carts filled with dirty linens or cleaning supplies. All sometimes need to move heavy equipment, whether it’s an EKG machine or a one-armed bandit. All need to move materials and supplies from one point to another, usually through narrow and crowded hallways. And all have to haul trash. With the click of your mouse, it’s now easy to find and examine all of these commonly used material handling products in one place by clicking on the new link to Motorized Carts for Hospitality, Hotel, and Industrial Environments from DJ Products home page.

Our expanded listing of motorized powered carts and equipment for the hospitality and hospital industries includes: housekeeping carts, dirty linen carts, wire carts for clean linens, powered and electric flatbed carts, a motorized dump hopper for trash and debris, and more heavy-duty motorized industrial carts and powered movers for handling bigger, heavier, more unwieldy loads. We even offer a motorized cart retro kit that can be adapted and installed on any cart, turning your old carts into money-saving models of ergonomic efficiency.

All of DJ Products’ material handling products are built to maneuver economically and safely in confined spaces. The ergonomic, walk-behind design of all of our products provides clear sight lines, ensures easy maneuverability and protects the health and safety of operators. Forward-thinking business owners who recognize coming trends are already embracing ergonomics as the wave of the future. To find out more about DJ Products’ ergonomically-designed powered carts and movers, visit our website and talk to one of our ergonomic engineers. At DJ Products, the future is now!