Taking A Load Off Occupational Risk
Work health and safety is sometimes known as occupational health and safety. It involves the prevention of health and safety threats for all members of the workplace, including yourself, your employees, your suppliers, your clients, and anyone else who visits your location of operation. By law, business owners are responsible to provide a safe work environment by maintaining adequate facilities and machinery to allow workers to perform their jobs in a way that will not harm their health. By looking after the safety and welfare of their staff, businesses can ensure smooth, uninterrupted operations and high levels of productivity.
We’re On A Roll
There is nothing quite as comfortable as lying on a freshly-made bed with crisp, clean sheets. However, the experience may not be the same for housekeeping staff who are changing the linens of several beds that they will not get to rest on. If you consider the pile of pillowcases, sheets, and blankets generated in your household and multiply it by ten or a hundred, then you will have a vague estimate of the huge load of linen that hospitals, hotels, and resorts have to deal with daily. The storage, delivery, and collection of such large amounts of linen present a logistical challenge for housekeeping staff, who already have to strain their backs cleaning rooms and remaking multiple beds. In addition, laundry can present a similar problem, particularly when it is wet and exceptionally heavy. Dedicated trolleys specially designed for laundry and linen—wet or dry—can help your staff to move these loads easily and safely.
Laundry & linen trolleys: https://www.advancetrolleys.com.au
Just like changing bed sheets, stacking boxes is not that much fun either. Yet, a myriad of industries from grocery warehouses to construction supplies revolve around the neat storage and movement of inventory. Hence, there are a variety of trolleys available that are purpose-built to transport objects in different industrial environments. Some equipment such as strong steel dollies can help to ease the transportation of bulky and hard-to-move pieces. Others such as electric scissor lifts can help employees get hefty items up to high shelves. Industrial trolleys are generally treated with a protective coating to allow them to resist wear and tear and extend their lifespan in harsh weather conditions.
Industrial trolleys: https://www.advancetrolleys.com.au/category/industrial
Just as industrial trolleys are made to withstand the elements, trolleys made for the healthcare industry are produced with the highest quality stainless steel. Because stainless steel does not corrode or degrade when exposed to high surgical temperatures or harsh sterilization methods, it is the metal of choice for the medical industry. Stainless steel can be found in hospital beds, wheelchairs, and even surgical implants. In demanding medical settings with stringent sanitation and cleanliness requirements, stainless steel trolleys can provide storage and supply movement solutions that expedite the job of medical professionals. From medication trolleys to instrument trolleys designed to hold IVs and oxygen tanks, trolleys can help move essential items while keeping them sterile.
Medical trolleys: https://www.advancetrolleys.com.au/category/medical
A Win-Win Solution
Aside from moving items from A to B, tailored materials handling equipment also assists employers in managing work health and safety risks. Some business owners worry about the costs of implementing safe practices but the hidden costs of workplace injury are a much more pressing concern. When an employee is injured at work, the costs incurred could include coverage of medical fees, paid time off for recovery, and even possible prosecution and fines from government agencies. On top of this, indirect costs such as a reduction in productivity, loss of skill and expertise, poor team morale, and time spent on training replacement staff can negatively impact a business even further.
According to the Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia 2019 report, the cost of work-related injuries and diseases is estimated to be $61.8 billion a year. The report also states that 36 percent of serious claims by employees were related to body stressing, with 41 percent of claimants suffering from traumatic joint and muscle injury. Thus, it is even more imperative that we provide our staff with the appropriate equipment to protect them from having to perform heavy physical lifting or manually carrying stock items. Particularly in this sensitive pandemic era, it is also prudent to minimize employee contact with soiled linen, dirty laundry, or hazardous waste. For those in the healthcare profession, materials handling equipment can prevent the contamination of sterilized medical instruments.
With the advancement of innovation and engineering, there are now numerous solutions for specific industry requirements. Just as we have adopted computer systems to accelerate our administrative and cataloging processes, businesses can take advantage of materials handling equipment to streamline and simplify the movement of their supply and waste. By taking a load off the backs of their staff, business owners can have happier and healthier employees, adhere to government guidelines, and achieve better productivity and profit.