Best practices -- Motorized transport cart

Manufacturing industry

Motorized cart used to transport computer mainframes up a ramped floor

Use of a motorized cart or "tug" has eliminated the unnecessary risks associated with transporting computer mainframes to a raised-floor testing lab. The tug minimizes the force requirements necessary to transport mainframes up a 15-degree ramp and allows for better maneuverability and control of units that can weigh more than 1,000 pounds. Prior to the use of the tug, employees would manually push mainframe units up the ramp. The task required multiple employees. The use of the tug allows a single employee to maneuver a mainframe up and into the room.

The motorized tug has eliminated the risk of overexertion injuries and the potential for serious pinching/crushing injuries to the hand and other parts of the body while trying to maintain control of the units as they are transported up the ramp. Above right:  Customized hitches were designed to attach the tug to the various models of mainframe units.

Disclaimer:  Photographs of commercially available products posted on this site are for reference purposes only and do not imply any endorsement by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. The best-practices ideas have been reviewed and posted solely at the discretion of the department and should only be considered as possible examples for reducing risk factors, based on existing ergonomics guidelines. Employers and employees need to work together to identify and control ergonomics risk factors within the workplace to better ensure changes made to a work process will be effective in reducing risk factors and maintaining work efficiency.