Emptying, Filling and Moving Laundry Carts

Laundry carts can be a help or they can be hazards. Like all containers, bigger is usually better, until you have to move them. Best work practices when emptying, filling and moving laundry carts are key to injury prevention.

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