Healthcare workers are dedicated providers of care for people in need around the globe. Unfortunately, in the course of their jobs, they are exposed to a variety of risks and hazards ranging from hazardous materials to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare worker injuries are a serious issue to be addressed.
…employees in nursing and personal care facilities suffer over 200,000 work-related injuries and illnesses a year. Many of these are serious injuries. More than half require time away from work. Worker's compensation costs for the industry now amount to nearly $1 billion per year. Workers in nursing homes are 2x as likely as other workers to be injured on the job.
United States Department of Labor – Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)
Given their commitment to the well-being of their patients, it’s all that more important that they are provided with protection from injuries. While not all injuries are unavoidable, there are methods of reducing risk of injury to these valuable healthcare providers.
Read on for Healthcare Ergonomics Best Practices and Resources...
Updated March 12: The Applied Ergonomics Conference 2020 has been postponed and will be rescheduling dates for later in the year. For more information visit their website here. We are excited to be exhibiting at the AEC again this year! The 23rd annual Applied Ergonomics […]
Case Study: Casters made ergonomically test and perform better than others Ray Erbe, President and Senior Engineer of Electro Kinetic Technologies, sat down with Yohann Printer, Ergonomics Engineer at Darcor, to discuss their journey and success with Darcor Casters and Wheels. About Electro Kinetic Technologies: […]
In our blog, we’ve talked for awhile now about how ergonomics plays an important role in reducing workplace injuries. But when it comes to transporting heavy loads with material handling carts, having the right cart design and caster selection for the specific application can also […]
Join us for the next ErgoExpo Webinar October 9, 2019 | 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT Duration: 60 minutes Produced by: National Ergonomics Conference & ErgoExpo Manual material handling (MMH) tasks are typically complex, and cart handling is no exception. Manual material handling […]
Case Study: Increased Efficiency and Workplace Safety Due to Caster and Cart Solution The client: Our client, a heavy stamping plant, located in Ontario, Canada is dedicated to metal stampings to make exterior panels for many automotive OEMs. They currently have several different product lines […]
Although casters are one of the smaller parts that make up a material handling cart, they play an integral role in how that cart will move efficiently and safely. Also, premature caster failure can impact the company’s bottom line. Caster technology has come a long […]
ErgoExpo 2019 is coming up! Get Ready for These Top Three Sessions The 25th National Ergonomics conference & ErgoExpo is only a few weeks away. The ErgoExpo is being held August 20 – 23, 2019 at the Paris hotel in Las Vegas. The National Ergonomics […]
MHI has released a new video titled How Wheels and Casters Move the World. In this video, MHI touches upon the fundamental need for wheels and casters throughout the world, but most importantly, it highlights the Institute of Caster and Wheel Manufacturers (ICWM). Darcor is […]
The Darcor team just returned from AEC 2019 and we wanted to share some highlights. The show seems to be getting bigger every year, with a lot of first-time attendees this year. There were over 60 Exhibitor booths and 48 Ergo cup teams. There was a strong focus as always around the ergonomic benefits of carts and casters with 8 presentations focusing on the topics of push/pulls forces, and carts and casters ergonomics. The Ergo Cup once again demonstrated how simple, cost effective, worker driven solutions can have a significant impact on the ergonomics of a work task while also contributing to production efficiencies and other ROIs.
Attendees were very interested in Darcor's display on the debris rejecting capabilities of our Neoprene wheels, as well our capability to design ergonomic systems like the central brake and Zephyr.
There was a lot of discussion around the new BWC push/pull tool developed from the research done by OSU (SRI), which allows user to easily determine if their push/pull task is in a acceptable force range. The tool only requires a few input parameters and outputs a simple green, yellow or red indicator to let you know the percent of the population at risk for that task. These limits were determined biomechanically using accurate models of the spine to understand how to prevent damage to the spinal disks before exceeding these thresholds.
Read on to find out about the highlights from AEC 2019 Applied Ergonomics Conference including highlights from the keynote speaker, sessions, and trends.
