Optimizing Push/Pull Efficiency: Wheel Material Selection Considering Secondary Risk Factors

In material handling, there is a significant consideration of the cart's total capacity and the push/pull force, however environmental factors can impact the success of a cart management program.  Factors like noise, debris, and chemicals can heavily impact cart handling, yet they are often overlooked in traditional analysis methods. When environmental conditions can’t be easily changed, understanding wheel material performance trade-off becomes critical to ensuring ergonomic performance. This presentation will explore how different wheel materials are impacted by secondary risk factors which will directly affect the decisions made that safeguard worker health and productivity.

Presenting Speaker

Madeline Shoot is the corporate ergonomist at Darcor Limited. She earned her Associate Ergonomist designation from the Canadian College for the Certification of Professional Ergonomists in 2023, following her education in kinesiology and advanced ergonomics. Madeline has spent much of her career focused on material handling ergonomics, including product testing, and consulting. Madeline is currently pursuing her Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE) designation.