Emptying, Filling and Moving Laundry Carts Hazard Alert

Most laundry carts are either three-feet or five-feet long. They have either fixed or flip shelves. Some carts have four swivel wheels; others have swivel wheels at one end and fixed wheels at the other.

Recommended Preventive Action

• Load carts only to the top of the second shelf.
• On the three-foot carts, steering should be from the swiveling side, which is easier on the body.
• When pushing the carts, hands should be below shoulder height.
• Two people should handle the five-foot loaded carts: one pushing at the back and one steering in the front for visibility.
• The carts are designed to be safe for pushing and pulling when in good working order. Carts difficult to push may be damaged. Tag a damaged cart so it can be repaired.
• Carts with flip shelves hold more laundry before the shelf needs to flip, allowing lifting to be kept below shoulder level for most people.
• Do not fill plastic laundry bags beyond their “full” line. This may require modifying internal policies to change the bags more frequently.
• Most laundry bags are designed to withstand 11 kilograms (25 lb). Overfilling them could cause them to break, exposing all who handle the bags to their contents.

In co-operation with Facilicorp NB

A look at three-foot and five-foot carts

December 2015