Ergonomic Issues in the Medical Industry Can Be Solved With Casters

Caster wheels are an integral part of the medical industry, as they allow for the efficient and effective

movement of medical equipment. Medical casters are specifically designed to help those working in the industry by offering excellent ergonomic performance, minimizing noise and shock loading, and providing a safe means of transportation.

Whether moving patients about, or medical equipment around, caster wheels are essential to the medical industry as a whole.

Medical casters are designed for a number of specialized applications, including:

·         Ultrasound machines

·         Mobile X-ray machines

·         Medical monitors

·         Anesthesia carts

·         IV poles

·         Operating room and hospital beds

Medical Ergonomic Benefits of High Quality Medical Casters

There are plenty of benefits that durable medical casters provide to this incredibly important field:

Reduce overexertion injuries - Thanks to better mobility of medical equipment, those who are moving components about are less likely to injure themselves in the process. These wheels offer a softer, smoother roll on any type of floor surface that’s conducive to ease of mobility. Better ergonomic mobility translates to lower overexertion and risk of injury to the user.

Reduced noise during equipment movement - In health care environments, it’s crucial to move medical equipment and patients about the facility as quietly as possible so as not to disturb anyone in the area. Specially designed medical casters effectively reduce noise at both low and high speeds.

Protection of equipment - Medical equipment has an extremely important purpose, so it needs to be handled properly in order to help provide the care that patients depend on. In addition, medical equipment is extremely expensive, which means it’s important to make sure it’s well cared for in order for it to remain in good condition for the long haul without the need for premature replacement.

Access Casters has the highest quality medical casters in the business. We’d be happy to discuss your needs and help guide you to the optimal casters for you. 

The Importance of Rolling Resistance in Manual Wheelchairs

There are plenty of needs and niches that casters fill, including in the medical industry. In fact, without high-quality casters, the medical industry as a whole would certainly not be as efficient and effective as it currently is.

In particular, rolling resistance is an important factor when it comes to casters for manual wheelchairs. In essence, rolling resistance is the force that resists movement when an object rolls on a surface. It puts a limit on the distance that a manual wheelchair is able to move after a force is applied, such as a push.

A good quality steel caster wheel will be capable of minimizing the rolling resistance in a manual wheelchair so that the person in the wheelchair and operating it does not have to work as hard and place undue stress and pressure on the upper body. With greater ease of movement, sliding from the wheelchair can be effectively prevented.

The distribution of weight from the front to the rear casters, as well as the type and size of casters chosen, plays key roles in the rolling resistance of manual wheelchairs. For this reason, it’s important that the most innovative casters are selected to ensure optimal motion of manual wheelchairs. In terms of the latter, various casters can be decided upon. For instance, solid tires are quite popular because a minimal amount of maintenance is typically required. With an increase in load on the tires, solid tires possess a greater increase in rolling resistance compared to pneumatic tires. This translates into a greater impact of weight on the rolling resistance of the wheels.

At Access Casters, no matter which type of casters you choose, you’ll be sure to get the best quality products at the most competitive prices out there. And with our in-depth experience and knowledge in this highly specialized industry, you can rest assured knowing that you’ll be receiving the best customer service experience possible.

Tips to Moving Furniture the Easier Way

Have you ever had to move multiple large pieces of furniture around when setting up displays? Such

a job is extremely demanding on the muscles and joints, not to mention potentially hazardous to the walls and floors where the furniture is being moved in and out of.

If you’re in an industry that requires constant movement of furniture, you’ve probably noticed how incredibly difficult and cumbersome it can be to move big items like sofas, credenzas, armchairs, and beds. The good news is that there are easier and more effective ways of moving furniture to save nicks on the walls, and kinks on your back.

Hook Chairs Around Corners

A recliner or large armchair can be a tough one to move from your stockroom to your sales floor. To deal with this problem, hook them around corners. Turn the chair on its side so it is shaped like an “L” and maneuver it so that it goes rear-first through the doorway. Once you’ve managed that, curl it around the frame of the door and carry it through.

Stand Couches on Their End

Moving a large sofa down the hallway can be a real pain, especially if it has to make its way through a doorway. Sometimes it’s just physically impossible to carry it horizontally and slip it through the door frame. In this case, try positioning the couch on its end, and then slide it through. Should the couch be taller than the actual doorway, tilt it slightly so that the top is moved away from the door — that’ll save you a few inches.

Use Furniture Casters

Rather than scratching up the floors and breaking your back sliding heavy furniture around, use furniture casters instead. And when it comes to moving large, heavy pieces of furniture around your business or up ramps or any other challenging terrain and sloping, furniture casters can sure come in really handy.

Access Casters has a wide variety of casters in all sorts of sizes and materials. Contact us today to gain access to furniture casters to make your job much easier and more efficient!

How to Make Big Machines Mobile, Without Sacrificing Precision

If you work with big industrial machinery, you probably know how difficult it is to move the equipment around the floor. When it comes time to rearrange the floor for greater efficiency, or when you want to buy or sell some equipment, moving machines becomes a whole huge production, requiring all kinds of manpower to lift and carry a heavy piece of equipment.

You run the risk of dropping and damaging the machine, and you lose out on precious manpower time from moving stuff around. Luckily, there’s a way for you to make your machines mobile without losing out on precision and accuracy.

Leveling Casters

The solution is to install a set of leveling casters on your machines. You might be skeptical, worried that casters will make your equipment lie off-kilter on the floor. This might be a concern with sub-par casters, which is why many people prefer to lug the machines around the old-fashioned way without putting casters on their equipment.

With leveling casters, however, there is a leveling mechanism built in that will lift or lower the equipment where the caster is attached, ensuring that everything will remain perfectly level even though you have four casters attached.

Stay on the Level

With the use of leveling casters, you can move a piece of equipment safely and easily anywhere on your work floor, and once it’s placed exactly where you want it, you can adjust the leveling to make sure that the machine is sitting perfectly flat on the floor. You’ll finally be able to achieve the dream of having an easily movable piece of equipment that also sits perfectly level on the floor, reducing the man hours lost moving stuff around and reducing the chance of breaking delicate machinery.

The Simple Tip for Your Medical Center That Can Save Time and Lives

In the medical field, you know that tiny changes can save — or cost — lives. When a patient is in

extreme medical distress, the crash cart needs to get there immediately, and a delay of a few seconds can mean the difference between life and death. On top of that, a medical office needs to operate more efficiently than many businesses, since doctors have to keep moving from patient to patient to have any hope of making it through their mountain of work.

When it comes to efficiency, even the smallest changes can have huge effects, and if you’re like most medical professionals, there’s an area for major improvement that you probably haven’t even considered.

Replace Your Casters

Few, if any, medical professionals pay the kind of attention that they should to the caster wheels on their equipment. When was the last time you pushed around one of your equipment carts? What was it like? Were you able to glide along smoothly and freely? Or was it like pushing along one of the grocery store carts that has the busted squeaky wheel?

Equipment with bad casters will make pushing a cart from one end of the medical center to the other a frustrating chore, which can be particularly problematic in an emergency situation.

Keep Your People Moving

Equipment with bad casters can cause a whole host of issues, from slow response time to the possibility of tipping a cart over and damaging sensitive equipment. Your carts need to move quickly and without delay, especially when a patient is crashing, and a cart with a sticking caster wheel could end up costing lives.

Don’t put your staff and patients at risk due to something so simple; make sure that your casters are new, clean, and unhindered, and that your carts can move quickly and smoothly over the floor.

Home Uses For Casters

Traditionally casters are used in the industrial and food service industries, but there are many helpful uses for them in the home. From heavy duty casters that can accommodate a few hundred pounds, to small casters that swivel and lock, there are more uses for casters in your house than you might expect.

Here are some ideas on incorporating furniture casters into your house. They save you from straining your back lifting heavy furnishings and tables, to making your life simpler by rolling the garbage can for easy meal prep disposal. 

Kitchen – Portable kitchen islands are a blessing! When counter space is a minimum, it’s the perfect area for meal prep. However, for a smaller kitchen, they can really get in the way. Adding furniture casters to your kitchen island allows you to move it out of the way for added space while entertaining. 

Coffee Table – It’s hard to have a dance party in the middle of your living room with a bulky coffee table in the way. Add casters and easily roll it out of the way. 

Bedroom – Adding casters to the bottom of your bed elevates it, allowing for additional storage space underneath. While you’re adding those new baskets to store clothes, shoes, or Legos, add wheels to make them more easily accessible. 

 

Trash cans –Never again do you need to make the ill-fated attempt at carrying two handfuls of meal prep scraps from the counter to the trash. Instead, bring the trash to the counter and scoop the scraps right in.  No mess!

Build Your Own Dolly

Are you the crafty/handy type that likes to fix the problem by constructing a solution, rather than buying one? For someone who is often moving heavy things around a garage, shop, or even the house, you can save your back and a few bucks by building yourself a workshop dolly.   

A workshop dolly is really just a platform on wheels. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, intricately constructed or purchased for a ton of money simply because someone else designed and built it for you. You don’t need to be an expert craftsman or have expensive tools to get the job done, either. All you need are a few inexpensive supplies you can pick up at your local hardware store. 

Supplies: You’ll need two-by-fours, scrap plywood, wood screws and four swivel casters, which you can find at AccessCasters.com. 

Once you’ve got the supplies it’s time to start constructing. For a good strong dolly, make a rectangle with the two-by-fours. Using lap joints at the corners is best. Then, attach the swivel casters just below the joints. Fasten carpet remnants over the dolly to keep items from slipping or to protect furniture or other delicate items. 

Voila! Just like that you’ve got yourself a dolly to move things around the shop, move heavy furniture around the house or even unload heavy supplies from your next trip to the bulk food supply store.