Electrodrive NZ - The Power To Move
When Schneider Electric
NZ Ltd identified the potential risk to staff of moving heavy trolleys around
their
Te Papa Tongarewa, Christchurch Yarns and Southern Cross Hospitals choose Electrodrive.
Te Papa Tongarewa, New Zealand's national Museum, is also well known as a major function and event venue, often catering for hundreds of guests in one of its many function rooms. In preparation for a function large numbers of tables, chairs and other equipment must be moved into the appropriate area and set up for use.
As a public building, Health and Safety restrictions prevent the movement of trolleys and equipment through public areas during opening hours, requiring that these movements were done at night, or that they were moved along closed corridors, often having to negotiate tight corners and ramps.
The trolleys used to transport the tables and chairs were moved manually and, even though several personnel were allocated to each trolley, it was clear that these movements represented a significant risk of injury to those involved, and that the use of multiple personnel in this way was both inefficient and un-productive, particularly as the trolleys were always under loaded to reduce weight.
With the introduction of an Electrodrive Mini 500, a single staff member can now move each trolley, safely and efficiently, wherever and whenever it is needed, and the risk of injury to staff has been all but eliminated. Significant gains have been made in both efficiency and productivity as the trolleys can now safely be fully loaded, requiring fewer journeys to move the same amount of equipment.
In common with all Electrodrive equipment, the Mini 500 is easy and safe to use. Requiring minimum training and almost no physical effort, even the slightest staff member can move the heaviest loads in complete safety.
Christchurch Yarns is one of New Zealand's largest producers of fibre and yarn used in carpet manufacture. During the final stage of production, the yarn is wound onto large cones and stored on multi-level trolleys before being moved to the packing and despatch area.
The trolleys have wheels only at one end requiring that the other end be raised clear of the floor so that the trolley will run on the rear wheels. This was achieved using a cantilevered jockey wheel inserted under the end of the trolley and manually levered down until the trolley legs cleared the floor. The trolley was then manually pulled along while maintaining downward pressure on the cantilever.
The large number in use made trolley replacement un-economic and so an Electrodrive Maxi unit, with a hydraulic lift mechanism, was introduced to solve the problem. The Maxi is driven up to the end of the trolley so that the hydraulically operated lifting bar engages under the trolley frame. A couple of easy strokes of the Powa-Lift raises the end of the trolley clear of the floor and the easy-to-use Maxi pulls the trolley to wherever it is needed.
Manual effort is virtually eliminated, significantly reducing the risk of operator injury, and the highly manoeuvrable Maxi can easily negotiate the narrow aisles and tight corners without any manual effort.
For nurses, and other healthcare workers, back and shoulder injuries resulting from heavy lifting and movement of patients have long been accepted as an occupational hazard.
Now
Southern Cross Hospitals,
One
major area of concern was the movement of patients in their hospital beds
between wards, operating theatres, X-Ray facilities and the like. Even in
relatively small hospitals, bed movements can amount to several hundreds per
day, often up and down ramps, in and out of elevators, and through corridors
with corners to negotiate.
Apart
from any medical considerations, their Health and Safety policy dictated that
two members of staff were required for each bed movement, often needing staff to be free
from other tasks.
Following
extensive trials at their largest hospital, in Beasley Avenue, Christchurch, the
multi-award winning Electrodrive "Gzelle" bedmover proved more than
equal to the task of easily and safely coping with the large number of bed
movements required, while removing virtually all risk of injury to staff and
patients.
The
simple, effective hitch arrangement allows the Gzelle to be easily and safely
attached to almost any hospital bed in just a few seconds. The simple twist
grip handle provides speed and directional control, while the unique design of
the drive mechanism allows the entire bed to turn easily in its own length -
with virtually no effort from the operator.
Light'n the Load
ACC's published statistics confirm the huge financial and human cost of workplace injuries, a significant proportion of which are back-related injuries suffered as a result of unsafe manual handling practices - and almost all of them are preventable.
The term "manual handling" applies to any activity which requires a person to lift, lower, push, pull, move or restrain, any object, and one of the most dangerous tasks, found in almost every type of industry, is the movement of heavy objects, or loads, on trolleys. Sometimes this is done using equipment, such as a forklift, which was not designed, or intended, for this type of use, but often it is done using manual labour.
When these tasks are analysed, the amount of weight being moved manually, often by one person, is quite staggering and it should be no surprise that a large number of injuries result from these activities.The traditional, "can do" Kiwi attitude has meant that our ability, or willingness, to identify these dangers, and provide a safe means of overcoming them, lags well behind our counterparts in Australia, the UK and many other countries, where injuries resulting from manual handling have been significantly reduced by the introduction of safe, simple and effective Electrodrive equipment.
Electrodrive is a world leader in the design and manufacture of simple, safe and efficient, battery-powered manual handling solutions, ranging from the "Gzelle" hospital bed mover to heavy-duty industrial pull/push Mini and Maxi units capable of safely moving loads from 500 kg to 5000 kg - and almost anything in between.
Electrodrive units not only provide greatly increased safety, they also provide significant increases in efficiency by allowing one person to safely move even the heaviest of loads, where several people may be required to move the same load manually. These advantages, together with greater task flexibility, better staff retention, reduced employee downtime and reduced insurance premiums all add up to cost savings many times the cost of providing the equipment.
Electrodrive has extensive experience in providing customised solutions across a host of industries. Intrinsically safe versions for the paint and solvent industry, stainless steel versions for the food and drug industry, StoreMaster flatbed powered trolleys for the logisitcs industry. Whatever you need to move, if it's on wheels there is an Electrodrive product for the job - guaranteed to move your problem, safely, quietly and efficiently - and if there isn't, Electrodrive will design one for you.
