ERGOdynamic Case Studies
We recently tested the Covention Train at the Lane County Convention Center.These are a few videos for you to see it in action. Click Images to View Videos |
Application: Moving Stack Chairs & Tables (more than 40 chairs at a time)
Challenges Resolved: Moving stack chairs and folding tables around a convention center presents several injury risks. Injury risks are related to extended reach, overhead reaching, bending and stooping with excessive loads, arm and shoulder injuries from pushing and pulling heavy loads. This work must be done quickly. The rushed atmosphere causes some workers to make bad ergonomic decisions that can result in an injury.
Conference Center Table & Chair Train for Go Lift
Moving stack chairs and folding tables around a convention center presents several injury risks. Injury risks are related to extended reach, overhead reaching, bending and stooping with excessive loads, arm and shoulder injuries from pushing and pulling heavy loads. This work must be done quickly. The rushed atmosphere causes some workers to make bad ergonomic decisions that can result in an injury.
When the challenge of finding a solution was presented one factor was stressed, keep the pace moving. Most of the time when adding more steps to a process you also add time. The answer was in finding a way to make workers more productive.
Stack chairs are normally moved by hand truck. Each stack contains about 10 chairs. Large facilities often move several hundred chairs. At only 10 chairs per stack that can mean 50 or more trips. With each trip the risk of an injury increases and a single injury can cost tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The solution was a complete system for handling stack chairs, folding tables and waste receptacles. The starting point was our flagship GoLift, the model UL3-HD. This model is self propelled and can lift over 500 lbs of weight. It moves freely though small door ways, in and out of elevators and both indoors and out. The GoLift required a few special modifications. First we needed to find a way to make the control tiller flexible so that the operator could use the machine just as easily in a forward or backward driving orientation. The ability to drive it backward meant that it could be uses as a tug. That ability allowed us to design 40 chair carts. Now each trip moves 4 times as many chairs as with the old system. When the cart is loaded the GoLift is attached and the user just walks along as the machine does all the work.
Placing the stacks of chairs on the cart can also be done by the GoLift. When chair forks are added the UL3 becomes a fork lift for chairs. Workers can hand stack chairs to a comfortable height and then let the GoLift combine the smaller stacks into a single column which can then be loaded onto the cart.
Folding tables present just as many hazards when being handled. The next component of this system is what we call the Table Train cart. Carts are two sided so they can be loaded onto either side. All the worker need do is tip the table onto the cart and fold the legs. No lifting is required. The shape of the table bunks keeps the tables neatly stacked against the center support. The Table Train is pulled by the GoLift.