worker safety Archives

Maintenance Staff Injury Prevention Starts with a Waste Caddy

Injuries can Occur from Pushing or Pulling Heavy Dumpsters.

Janitors and maintenance teams have enough physical strain in the course of their job. After making the rounds, lifting and throwing bags into the dumpster and dealing with oversized items, the employee then has to push the waste container to the proper collection site. That last step can be the most difficult – manually pulling or pushing thousands of pounds.

Tips to Prevent Injuries to Maintenance Staff

Prevention has two main components: general health and ergonomics. The ergonomic part is easy – you can switch from manual power to battery-powered waste caddies that motorize the most difficult part of the job.

Safety experts also recommend taking a holistic approach – what John Virsack of ARM has called the “360 degrees of safety.” Consider workplace programs to promote healthy eating, exercise, work-life balance, and stress reduction. Workers in good shape physically and mentally are less likely to get injured and miss days.

Waste caddies and dumpster movers are a necessity for workers, regardless of physical conditioning. No strong man can safely push and maneuver a loaded dumpster 100% of the time. Frequent exertion, inclines, gravel parking lots, etc. – the job needs automation to be safe.

Consider the many safety hazards of manually moving dumpsters:

• Muscle strains from long-term overexertion.

• Herniated discs, torn muscles from sudden force.

• Crushed fingers and toes, e.g. when maneuvering into a freight elevator.

• Pinned by dumpster when out of control on slope or slippery surface.

• Property damage if dumpster strikes parked cars or buildings.

To prevent worker injuries — not to mention the cost of sick days and workers comp claims — invest in a waste caddy to improve safety for your maintenance staff.

The Danger of Push and Pull Injuries – Think Dumpster Movers!

Pushing and pulling may seem like basic activities, but according to the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) they are behind roughly 20 percent of workplace injuries. Not only do they increase risk of injury, pushing and pulling inflict stress on the body’s musculoskeletal system.

Studies show that these injuries are a result of poor body mechanics rather than unsafe work conditions. Share these techniques with employees to reduce risks involved in pushing and pulling.

Safety Tips for Pushing and Pulling

1. Whenever possible, push rather than pull to relieve stress on lower back muscles and face forward while moving.

2. Be realistic about the effort involved in transporting a heavy load. Consider the task carefully and ask for help when you need it.

3. Make sure the dumpster puller or other mover is in good operational condition. Determine the best route to travel and inspect it beforehand for any obstructions.

4. Use a slow but steady movement when starting and stopping a load. Sudden exertions can add undue stress to muscles and joints.

5. Always use proper body mechanics:

Hands should be chest height and shoulder width apart.
Contract your abdomen, maintaining a slight arch in your lower back.
As you bend your elbows, retract your shoulder blades and push your chest forward.
Keep feet flat and shoulder width apart.

Reduce Pushing and Pulling Injuries with Electric Movers from DJ Products

Our WasteCaddyLite dumpster puller is ergonomically designed to let a single employee safely move up to 2,000 pounds. Visit our website to learn more about our full line of battery-powered tugs, pullers and movers.

Trash Rooms and Compactors are Dangerous!

Protect the Safety of Your Employees with the Dumpster Caddy

Trash collection and disposal seems like it should be a fairly benign activity, but sadly trash rooms and compactors have been the sites of a number of serious injuries and fatalities over the years.

Compactor Accidents Can Have Tragic Results

One of the more devastating accidents occurred at Grocery Outlet in Redwood, CA. Mendie Udo, a 43-year-old janitor who had worked at the store for several years, was discovered inside the trash compactor by another employee. Responding firefighters declared him dead at the scene.

Although there were no witnesses, a spokesperson for Cal/OSHA said there was no doubt that Udo was crushed in the compactor and there were no signs of foul play. Based on the position of the body, authorities speculate that Udo leaned into the machine.

Enforce Compactor Safety Rules in Your Workplace

Any employee who uses a compactor should be thoroughly trained in its proper operation. Here are some other safety measures that should be implemented in your workplace:

• The operating key should never be left in an unattended machine.

• Always examine the inside of the compactor’s bin before starting.

• Employees should never climb into the compactor or put any body parts inside the bin.

• Turn off the power and use long-handled tools to clear jams.

• Point of operation guards should be firmly in place at all times.

Prevent Workplace Injuries with a WasteCaddy from DJ Products

Transporting dumpsters and waste bins to the trash room can also cause injuries. Visit our website to learn how our battery-powered WasteCaddy can improve efficiency and cut down on workplace injuries and costly medical claims.

The Business Case for Investing in Equipment that Prevents Back Injuries

DJ Products Waste Caddy is an Investment in Your Employees’ Health

Data from an older article stated that on average, nearly 50 workers are injured during any given minute of the work week. The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) published a 2002 report that workplace safety programs benefit both your company and your employees. Fast-forward to today. This data makes a good business case that using WasteCaddy dumpster movers to prevent back injuries is a wise investment.

Safety by the Numbers

In that article, workplace injuries resulted in $128 billion in losses in 1996, which equated to 25 percent of pre-tax net profits. Even in today’s business environment, indirect costs can inflate direct costs by a factor of 20. Some of these include:

• Hiring, training and paying replacement labor

• Reduced productivity

• Investigation time and implementation of corrective measures

• Absenteeism and low employee morale

• Poor reputation in the community and industry

Many of these costs can continue long after the actual occurrence of the injury.

Raising Safety Awareness

The report cited a survey showing that employers buy into the importance of heightened safety practices regarding business and human costs. The top two reasons given were the cost of workers’ compensation insurance and the “right thing to do.”

There is real-life data to support the cost-effectiveness of safety programs:

• Companies have seen a return of up to $6 for every $1 spent on workplace safety.

• After investing in their safety program, a West Virginia coal mining company saw its workers’ compensation rate drop to $1.28 per $100 in payroll, compared to a competitor’s rate of $13.78.

Reduce Back Injuries with Electric Tugs from DJ Products

Our WasteCaddy dumpster mover enables a single employee to safely and easily handle one of the more labor-intensive tasks in the workplace. Call 800.686.2651 to learn more.

What’s the Most Expensive Employee Injury?

Employers have tons of incentive to worry about workplace injury: in addition to employee welfare, getting hurt on the job costs employers billions every year.

When you think about employee injuries, you might think about scary incidents like fingers getting caught in equipment. However, it’s the built-up effects of repetitive tasks and physical labor that lead to the most expensive injuries in the workplace. These are the same injuries that can be prevented by ergonomic material handling solutions.

Let’s look at the most expensive employee injury: overexertion.

Overexertion: Pushing, Pulling, & Lifting Our Way to Injuries

The largest direct costs for employers stem from overexertion injuries. According to the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, overexertion includes physical tasks like pushing, pulling, lifting, carrying, holding, and throwing. Such injuries added up to more than $14 billion in direct costs in 2011.

When including indirect costs, the numbers can increase exponentially. Indirect costs include lost time, loads of paperwork, and increased insurance premiums.

All told, the most expensive employee injuries include (with annual cost as of 2011):

Overexertion ($14.2B)
Slip-and-fall ($13.5B)
Struck by object/equipment ($5.6B)
Motor vehicle accidents ($2.4B)
Repetitive motions ($2.0B)

Ergonomic equipment like the CartCaddy help prevent multiple causes of these expensive injuries. By reducing the heavy exertion and repetitive tasks of many jobs, workers avoid some of these big worry sources, and also have more energy and focus to avoid other injuries.

If rising insurance costs, fear of worker compensation claims and a focus on workplace safety are important in your industry, talk to us about CartCaddy safety solutions.

Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com

Working Safe in a Cold Winter Warehouse

When it comes to the temperature of your warehouse, you are largely at the mercy of the current outdoor temperature. Large expanses of cold concrete floors, high ceilings, little to no insulation, and frequently opened bay doors all add up to a bone-chilling work environment during winter months.

Potential problems

The cold weather brings many problems.

Hypothermia: Without equipment like cart pullers, workers sweat more and increase heat loss. Hypothermia can kill quickly and older employees are at high risk in any environment below body temperature.

Chilbains: The tissue damage can be acute, lasting 1 to 2 weeks, or chronic and cause permanent damage. It occurs subtly and even minor cases cause lifelong sensitivity.

Equipment damage: Machines may freeze up and the melting ice or high moisture can damage electronic components.

Preventing problems

You can easily avoid some serious conditions.

Prepare your equipment by covering any metal handles or bars with an insulating material.

When purchasing new material movement equipment, choose machines that can be easily operated while wearing bulky clothes and gloves.

Educate employees about potential problems and symptoms of overexposure.

When someone works up a sweat, they are at higher risk of cold-related health problems. Use ergonomic material moving equipment and be sure everyone takes frequent breaks in a warm area.

Regardless of your industry or the size of your warehouse, DJ Products can help you operate safer and be more productive throughout the year. Call 800.686.2651 to discuss your equipment needs with one of our courteous and knowledgeable Sales Engineers.

Repetitive Stress Injuries: High Cost to Employers and Employees

Manpower is the most significant asset of a company, so it stands to reason that it’s also one of the major expenses. When an employee is out of work for health reasons, the financial impact is twofold. There is the cost of replacing him along with the potential loss of efficiency if the replacement is less skilled or if the position simply goes unfilled. Repetitive stress injuries (RSI) account for 30 percent of missed time, making them one of the biggest workplace dangers.

Reports from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration state that roughly 1.8 million workers per year are affected by RSI, while government studies place the cost to businesses at between $17 billion and $20 billion. Employees themselves also suffer a personal financial toll. The chronic nature of RSI can lead to more serious or permanent injuries. An affected worker may be forced to take a job that pays less or pay for education and training in order to find alternate employment.

Repetitive stress injuries affect soft tissue such as muscles, tendons and joints. As the name implies, they occur from repeating the same motion or activity on a regular basis. Use of ergonomically designed equipment such as our CartCaddyShorty can greatly reduce the threat of RSI in your workplace by relieving stress and strain, making tasks easier to perform.

The CartCaddyShorty is just one of the full line of material handling tugs available from DJ Products. Contact us at 800.686.2651 to have one of our trained Sales Engineers help you find the right solution for your business.

Ergonomics Addresses Small & Large Features of Material Equipment Use

Some people think all material handling equipment is the same. They may notice that handles, controls, wheels, beds, connectors and other features differ from model to model but they don’t realize that even small differences in design can have a huge impact on how hard or easy a piece of material handling equipment is to use and whether it is likely to injure operators or minimize the risk of injury. Those small differences can add up to huge financial savings when material handling equipment is ergonomically designed to maximize ease of use and minimize risk of injury.

Workplace injuries cost U.S. businesses more than $60 billion annually and affect more than 1.75 million workers each year. A single back injury, which account for 50% of worker’s compensation claims, can cost a business $26,000 in time-lost costs. Utilizing ergonomically-designed material handling equipment to take the strain off workers’ backs during pushing, pulling and lifting activities can result in immediate savings.

When material handling equipment is ergonomically designed, every aspect of the piece of equipment and how it will be used is taken into consideration. Because workers come in all shapes and sizes, ergonomic engineers must consider a wide range of factors in designing equipment so that it can be comfortably used by a varied workforce. As you might expect, ergonomics addresses major design features such as the height of load beds, cart depths, angle of access, force requirements and other macro-design elements.

However, small, repetitive actions like twisting a handle often tax muscles and result in repetitive motion musculoskeletal injuries. Ergonomic engineers strive to address every element of equipment design from the width and angle of hand grips to the placement and shape of control buttons to the size and type of wheel. For more information on ergonomically-designed material handling equipment, visit the DJ Products website.

Decrease Worker Injuries While Increasing Productivity

Decrease Injuries While Increasing Productivity — Ergonomic solutions like motorized cart pushers help mitigate many sources of injury risk

People can accomplish more when supported by a safe and comfortable work environment. If your worksite requires employees to exert significant strength and energy, an investment in ergonomic products will pay off with better health and better productivity.

Ergonomic solutions like motorized cart pushers help mitigate many sources of injury risk:

Ease the burden of heavy exertion: Workers may be able to lift hundreds of pounds or operate heavy equipment, but the risk of injury remains. Every act of overexertion carries the risk of significant injuries. Ergonomic, motorized cart pushers and other equipment can remove stress from a worker’s back and legs and prevent sudden or long-term health problems.

Make common tasks more comfortable: Repetitive tasks also carry high physical risk, and tend to go unnoticed until the employee has sustained significant injury. By replacing manual methods with motorized equipment, businesses can ensure a safer, healthier workplace for workers who frequently lift, carry, and move equipment or inventory.

While improving safety, ergonomics also boosts worker productivity:

Get more work done: Employees can maneuver loads more easily and move materials more efficiently with motorized cart caddies. Tasks will save time when dealing with heavy loads or awkward space constraints, and workers will have more energy throughout their shift.

Better working conditions means better work: While staying healthy and able to work, your team will be better prepared to handle the demands of the job with fewer lost days and a faster-paced work environment.

Safety and productivity go hand-in-hand when it comes to workers who handle heavy materials and equipment. Find out how ergonomic solutions from DJ Products can benefit your staff and your bottom line.

Workman’s Compensation Trends

Watching the trends and staying aware of changes in laws can help businesses plan how to prevent injuries and prepare for the risk of workman’s compensation claims.

Here’s a roundup of trends in the news regarding workers’ comp:

Safety measures help reduce worker’s comp costs in some states

Costs associated with worker’s compensation vary from state to state and in different industries. While rates rise in some sectors, many states have seen slight decreases across-the-board in costs for employers—with manufacturing and industrial firms seeing decreases due to lower medical costs and changes in safety measures.

Calls for better oversight

Many government agencies have seen scandals and controversies rock their workman’s compensation departments, leading to chatter over the need for better oversight of the programs.

In Washington, D.C., city officials have held special meetings to find out whether $24 million was mismanaged in recent years by administrators.

While employers wish for compensation matters to be handled swiftly and fairly, questionable management of the programs themselves are cause for concern for everyone involved.

Cities mulling creation of local worker’s comp offices

Municipal governments face workman’s compensation claims just as private businesses do, and in some cases city officials have seen large rises in claims. Trenton, New Jersey administrators have paid unexpected millions in compensation claims in 2014, prompting calls for a new local position or city office to oversee the program.

While debate goes on about the cost-benefit concerns of creating an oversight position, rising costs have proponents claiming that the job could pay for itself by reducing fraudulent claims.

Tag: worker safety