Information on this page is drawn from "Ergonomics Best Practices for the Construction Industry" published by the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation
Situation — Moving Appliances/HVAC Units
In new home construction, appliances, heating/air conditioning units, plumbing and other items must be moved to the house. Often, workers must move these items up and down steps and stairways. Even with a traditional dolly, these tasks create heavy loads on the spine and awkward trunk postures. These risk factors combine to create a high risk of back injury.
Best practice — Powered Dolly
Powered dollies, which are commercially available, can eliminate much of the force required and the awkward postures associated with traditional dollies. The powered dollies often have adjustable handles and stair climbing devices.
Results
After an average follow-up period of 398 days, three construction companies that implemented powered dollies achieved the following results:
• The CTD incident rate (incidents per 200,000 hours) changed from 14.9 to 0 — a 100-percent improvement;
• The ROI for powered dollies is .18 years, or 2.2 months;
• The days lost due to CTDs dropped from 29.8 days per 200,000 hours worked to 0 — a 100-percent improvement;
• The restricted days due to CTDs improved from 19.8 days per 200,000 hours worked to 0 — a 100-percent improvement;
• The turnover rate (per 200,000 hours worked) changed from 79.3 to 31.6 - a 60-percent improvement;
• The average risk factor score for four affected tasks in the three companies was 30.2 before the devices were put into place, and was 29.7 afterward — a 2-percent improvement.