How to Efficiently and Safely Carry Out Home Health Care Deliveries in the Cold

Posted by Magliner on February 3rd, 2020

Winter is a particularly crucial time for home health care deliveries. People depend on those deliveries for essential health care and quality of life equipment and supplies. People who might otherwise be somewhat mobile are often stuck at home in the winter due to the cold and risk of falling. Extreme temperatures make life much harder to people with disabilities, mobility issues, and health issues. Unfortunately, those same issues can make the deliveries that people rely on more difficult. There are a number of ways, however, in which home health care deliveries can be more safely and effectively managed in the cold months, whether that means upgrading to a stair climbing dolly for moving equipment, changing the schedules to allow for delays, or simply planning out routes carefully.

Preparing Personnel, Loads, and Gasses for Delivery

First off, safe and effective delivery begins with delivery personnel being fully prepared. If staff are too cold due to improper apparel, they might rush, increasing the risk of slips and falls, endangering both the load and the people around it. That also makes their workdays stressful and unpleasant, which isn’t good for morale. Provide apparel guides, especially for new employees, and consider keeping a stock of company branded coats, gloves, hats, and other winter gear so that everyone has standardized cold weather clothing.

Delivery staff should also make sure loads are prepared not just for transport in the truck, but out of the truck and into the cold. Sensitive loads should be padded and protected from moisture. Cylinders of gas should be properly protected to prevent damage and tom prevent snow and ice from building up around vents and valves. Employees should also use equipment, such as hand trucks, with curved backs to move cylinders from one place to another. Delivery teams should plan every route, both the driving route and the route from the vehicle to the client’s door. Consider the terrain and, if necessary, clear obstacles in advance.

Stocking the Right Equipment

Part of that planning and preparation means using the right equipment for delivery. For instance, if you’re going to be forced to navigate stairs, be sure to use a stair climbing cart or hand truck rather than a traditional model. If you don’t have access to a powered stair climbing hand truck, look into stair climber attachment kits that can be fitted to traditional hand trucks. Look into replacing the wheels on hand trucks, traditional or powered, for better traction on snow and ice. Simple upgrades or adjustments to equipment can make a huge difference.

Properly Securing Loads

When teams are on tight schedules, and the workdays are more stressful due to weather, it’s tempting to cut corners to save time. It’s important to train, and re-train your teams in the process of securing sensitive loads and emphasize the importance of following proper procedure every time. Particularly since home health care delivery often involves the transportation of pressurized gases in heavy canisters, skimping on securing those loads is a bad idea. In addition to the safety hazards it represents, those loads are generally expensive and, most importantly, the clients’ health and comfort often depend on your successful delivery. Winter is a good time to remind your teams of the importance of their work.

About Magline

Magliner hand trucks have been lynchpin tools of material handling operations for over 70 years. They are such a staple in the material handling space that the word “Magliner” is now regularly used in reference to any hand cart, regardless of the brand. There is, however, no substitute for a real Magliner. The Magline standard of dependability, ease of use, reliability, and quality is simply unmatched. Along with their traditional hand truck, Magliner equipment includes a variety of more specialized material handling solutions. Those include their stair climbing cart line, lift hand truck collection, electric hard cart line, and a whole lot more. For delivery drivers, warehouse pickers, trucking and logistics professionals, and every other occupation or undertaking that requires moving stock, there’s a perfect Magliner for the job.

Find out exactly how Magliner equipment can help your employees at Magliner.com

Original Source: http://bit.ly/2vzmzFh