ErgoCanada of the Micwil Group of Companies has become the exclusive distributor of the ErgoUP Leg Rests in Canada! This is an exciting development for both our company and our customers.  The main benefit is that ErgoUP customers in Canada will no longer have to deal with import issues when purchasing their leg rests.

We hope to see the ErgoUP Leg Rests available in ergonomic and office furniture stores across Canada in the next few months.  If you are a dealer in Canada  interested in carrying the leg rests, please contact Micwil for details.

For the last few years, the GoLift GL3 was our heavy lifter with no front stabilizers.  The design was often required when the load did not allow for the front stabilizers to engage below or to the side of the load.  However, our GoLifts have evolved a lot over the past couple years.  With the birth of the GL7, the GoLift earned it’s title as the most compact lift.  The single rear wheel allows it to move in 360 degrees, within it’s own footprint!  That is a really nice feature when working it tight quarters.  The GL3 was the bulkiest of our machines because of the counterbalance weight required to lift over 350 pounds with no front stabilizers.  The four wheel with powered rear wheels design worked great in many environments but had a few draw backs.  Such issues included; if the load was driving across a side slant, the machine would tend to crab walk down the incline and turning the machine required some physical exertion on the part of the user.  The all new GL9 takes the best of the GL3 and GL7 to create an all power, compact, counterbalanced lifting device.

ErgoUP Leg Rests works directly with many ergonomic consultants to provide leg supports to their clients.  ErgoUP is now providing a link to professionals that provide ergonomic evaluations and consulting services in the United States.  Check for your listing or submit your name to be included.

ERGOdynamics has designed the concept for this modified GL7 GoLift in order to create a self propelled laundry cart.  Lifting heavy loads of laundry is a serious injury risk for those working in the service industry.  This particular hotel has laundry chutes on each floor.  Large loads of laundry, sometimes wet and very heavy and awkward, are moved from a push cart into the chute by hand.

The modified GoLift power laundry cart will have no lifting mast like most GoLifts. In it’s place will be a powered dumping laundry tote. The battery operated cart is designed to handle up to 500 lbs of laundry.  The body of the cart is made of a heavy fabric to prevent pinch point associated with a solid container.

This self propelled laundry cart is a perfect example of how ERGOdynamics can develop custom material handling equipment to provide an ergonomic safe working environment.

ERGOdynamics President, Myrlin Deveraux to speak at the upcoming ASSE 2011 Conference in Medford, Oregon on Thursday, October 20th.  You can catch Myrlin speaking under the session called “Preferred Worker Program: Tools for our Time” along with Heather Grogan.

Online registration is open for this event at http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=989332

Why you need a powered window opener

Does your office have privacy windows that need to be opened and then closed each time you speak to a patient, customer or client?  The motion of reaching up and out and exerting enough force to slide the window open and closed poses injury risk to the worker’s shoulder.

Shoulder injuries are one of the most prevalent on-the-job injuries today.  Many of these shoulder injuries result in time loss and permanent restricted tasks and postures.  Prevention is always less expensive than reaction when it comes to on the job injuries.  So consider this; how many times per day does the receptionist reach to open and close a privacy window?  In most offices the window is situated in a way that the reach falls within extended reach areas.  We’ve spoken about extended reach and the dangers it poses before.  Even though the window requires only a few pounds, normally less than 6, when that force is required at arms length the perceived force effect is multiplied several times.   Try this; hold a full cup of coffee like you would normally.  Take note of the weight you are sensing.  Now hold that same cup at arms length.  You should notice a significant difference.  An average cup of coffee in a mug weighs about 1 lb.  Make a guess about how much weight your feeling when your arm is extended.  Now multiply that by 5 or 6 and you have an idea of what it’s like to open and close a privacy window.  Count the repetitions and you have an accumulated force/weight for the day.

Description of Equipment and Installation

This powered window actuator is designed for use at reception windows.  The standard design will work with windows that are up to 24” wide with push pull force less than 20 lbs.  Custom designs and configurations are available upon request.

The WC400 operates on 110 volt AC power.  The directional switch is powered by 12 DC volts for safe and reliable operation.  The switch is normally mounted under the counter but other mounting options are available.  It can even be operated by remote control just like a garage door opener.  This power unit is designed to be mounted above a suspended ceiling for better concealment.  A series of aircraft cables actually open and close the window.  The exact stop/start points are set by the installer.  Safety is a big concern when powering a window.  What if someone sticks their hand in the window just as you start to close it?  We’ve thought of that; there are two protections built in.  The first is that to keep the window working the button must be held down.  That insures the operator won’t be distracted. The second safety features is an adjustable slip clutch that is built into the system.  The installer will set the clutch so that it disengages when the window comes in contact with an obstruction.  As soon as the obstruction is removed the window continues it operation.

Installation is not difficult but should be done by a qualified installer.  A local contractor or handyman service would be good options and we can help you locate one in your area.  ERGOdynamics takes no responsibility for contractors work or services performed.  They are operating as independent contractors even if we help you with locating someone in your area.  It is the customer’s responsibility to hire the installer and to insure they perform work as promised.

The GoLift 5 is a battery powered, compact, vertical lift with lift capacities ranging from 300lb to 600lb.  Here is a pre-delivery demonstration of a new roll handling device that will be used to lift and place these 350 pound rolls of plastic water bottle labels onto a boom that feeds the labels into the machine that places the labels onto the bottles.  You can see that the lifting mechanism only partially engages the core of the roll, allowing room for the roll to be installed while still on the lift.  The lift is modified with guides, specialized for this manufacturer, that allows the worker to easily engage the core by simply pushing the machine up to the roll until the guides bump the roll itself, perfecting aligning roll core and roll engagement tool.  Rolls can be lifting from a pallet where they are stored vertically and rotated to a horizontal position for installation.  An expanding mandrel allows this to occur without ever touching the fragile plastic label material, where as a fork or clamp lifting device may cause damage to the roll material.

This machine demonstrates our lower cost, manual rotation, human powered push with powered vertical lift.  Want an all power machine?  REQUEST A QUOTE online or CONTACT US.

An on the job injury can result in many costs for both the employer and employee.  The longer an employee is away from work after an injury, the more costly that injury will be.  The length of time a worker is away from work, the harder it is for him or her to get back to work at all.   The longer an employee is away from work, the higher the employer’s workers’ compensation costs and related business costs will be.  Safely returning injured workers to their jobs is a win win situation for all.

In a cost benefit example provided by IWIF it clearly shows the financial benefit to the employer to get the worker back to their position.  This is an example of a worker who experienced a soft tissue or joint injury that was medically cleared to return to work but the employer did not accommodate him or her.  The employee missed 6 months of work due to this injury.

Employee’s Average Weekly Wage: $400
(2/3 of $400 = 266.67 x 26 weeks)
Weekly Worker’s Comp Payments 26 Weeks: …….$6,933

Estimated Medical Costs for 6 Months: …………….$2,000

Temporary Replacement Needed:
Salary of $400/week x 26 weeks: ……………………..$10,400
Estimated Training Costs: ……………………………….$500

Total Cost to Employer & Insurance Carrier: …….$19,833

By returning the worker to their position, the company could have saved $9,000!  This scenario does not even factor in the loss of productivity or the personal physical and emotional effects on the worker.  Injured workers can be returned to alternative duty jobs or the company can invest in tools to accommodate the injured worker.  For example, had this worker been injured while lifting heavy items, the employer could purchase an ergonomic lift from ERGOdynamics for $4,000 – $7,000.  This investment would not only save the employer a direct $2,000 to $5,000 but would increase the worker’s productivity and reduce future injury risks to this particular employee, future employees in this position and other employees at the same company performing other lifting tasks.   This investment in employee safety can easily pay for itself five fold.

Many Stay at Work and Return to Work programs exist across the United States and are operated by state agencies and Worker’s Comp Insurance providers.  Funding may be available to assist in purchasing special equipment, tools and devices to return injured workers to their jobs or to modified duty.  Contact your state’s division of labor or your workers comp insurance carrier for resources available in your area.

Top on New Frame

There are solutions!

Has an insurance company or your ergonomist told you that you need to consider replacing all your tables or work benches with new adjustable height work stations to prevent work related injuries?  Working on surfaces at the incorrect height often cause pain & stress to the back, neck and shoulders.  Working too high can be just as troublesome as working too low.  Too low and the worker is constantly bending over, a real risk for low back injury.  Working at a surface that is too high and the worker places too much strain on shoulders, upper back and neck.

One challenge that faces all business, especially today in a struggling economy, is staying profitable.  I was once told that making a profit in business has little to do with how you sell your product as it has everything to do with how you buy your product.  The point was that in a competitive market place the price point is set by your customer; what they are willing to pay.  Everyone ends up selling for about the same price so the margin of profit is influenced most by how you control costs.

Controlling costs is a responsibility shared by several departments.  The obvious department is purchasing.  Labor utilization is a great way of controlling costs and a portion of cost containment is in minimizing injuries.  That’s why you assigned safety and ergonomics to someone.  Unfortunately, all too often that’s where it ends. That’s why the ergonomics and safety people get a little frustrated at times.  It can be painful to make the investment in injury prevention, but not as painful as dealing with time loss injuries and low morale.  That’s the point of this conversation.  It doesn’t need to be.  A good starting point would by consulting with people who have had to find creative solutions when budget gets in the way of solutions.

Adjustable Height Table Frame w/Out Top

Here is a great economical, ergonomic solution…

You need to find a way to get adjustable work surfaces but the cost is out of reach right now.  The important part of the adjustable surface has nothing to do with the surface, all you really need is to add the adjusting part to the tables you currently use.  At ERGOdynamics we can design and build the lifting structure that fits your table top.  Then all you do is move the top from the old frame to the new adjustable height frame.  In the pictures you can see how our frame is designed to fit a stainless steel work surface.  A regional food coop needed to have adjustability in their work surfaces but had limited budget.  Their staff used these tables for many different food preparations and the staff came in all heights.  This is a a perfect example of a situation that demands height adjustable work benches. We designed the adjustable frame and they added their stainless steel top.  They saved several hundred dollars and the result was exactly the same as buying a completely new adjustable height work table.  Think creatively and solutions will arise.