Push-Pull Injuries A Growing Problem At Manufacturing Facilities

Home » Blog » Push-Pull Injuries A Growing Problem At Manufacturing Facilities

By Doug Backinger VP of Sales

Posted on: September 5, 2014

Categories: Safety Casters and Wheels , Solving Push or Pull Issues

We’ve all seen the placards at manufacturing plants that proudly herald the number of days that have elapsed during a workplace accident. Such statistics are a source of pride for manufacturing employers – but also have a meaningful impact in reducing downtime, cutting down on medical expenses and ensuring a safe, efficient and OSHA-compliant working environment.

But a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report that indicated that more than 40 percent of annual nonfatal workplace injuries were related to sprains and strains – the types of maladies that often occur from improper use of, or unsafe conditions for, hand carts.

If you Google “injuries related to push-pull hand carts,” you’ll find there are millions of links that provide information on the topic. After sifting through this jungle of information from sources like OSHA, the Teamsters and state Departments of Labor, it’s easy to conclude that there are a vast number of body parts that become injured when pushing/pulling hand carts – everything from back, to shoulder, to knees, and points in between.

The right wheels and casters can play an important part in cutting down on such workplace incidents. With thousands of projects under our belt, we at Caster Concepts are very qualified to offer solutions that can make a huge difference for our consumers. For example:

• A larger caster wheel will offer better ergonomics.  Going from a 6” to an 8” wheel with the same material will lead to a 15 percent increase in efficiency while reducing push/pull force.
• A harder durometer caster wheel will offer better ergonomics, but an extremely hard wheel could damage your floor.
• The smaller caster wheel width will, by definition, offer a smaller footprint, which offers the prospect of better ergonomics.
• Different bearings in the caster swivel and the wheel can have a great impact on efficiency.

Manufacturers and cart fabricators ask us everyday to offer best possible caster and wheel solutions in making their world a bit easier and safer. Though some conditions – particularly related to imperfections of manufacturers’ floors – are out of our control, we can work with the cart fabricator in supplying a caster that will offer the best possible ergonomics for each environment reducing the number of push-pull injuries, and for each budget.