Portable Mortar Tub Cart

A polyethylene tub with casters to transport mortar.

Description:

A portable mortar tub cart is an engineering control than can help reduce musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) from manual material handling.  It is a polyethylene tub mounted on heavy duty impact resistance 8-inch caster wheels.  This allows for a large quantity of mortar to be transported by one worker.

A portable mortar tub, such as the Mud Tub by Multiquip (figure 1), is resistant to cold weather and ultraviolet.  The dimension of the basin is approximately 57 by 28 by 28 inches with a 10 cubic feet capacity.  The maximum weight capacity is 1,000 pounds.

Figure 1.  Multiquip Mud Tub (Source: http://www.multiquip.com)

Risks Addressed:

Heavy lifting and carrying can cause low back disorders, such as muscle strain or a disc herniation (“slipped disc”), which is bulging of disc material possibly pressing on the spinal cord or nerves that go into the leg. A portable mortar tub cart may help to reduce worker heavy lifting and carrying by providing workers with a mobile tub that can easily transport mortar or other types of mud.

How Risks are Reduced:

A portable mortar tub cart minimizes heavy lifting and carrying because the wheels added to the tub allow workers to roll heavy loads easily. 

Safety and health experts believe a portable mortar tub cart minimizes heavy lifting and carrying and therefore can reduce the incidence of MSDs. There have not been independent published studies measuring the effect of a portable mortar tub cart on the incidence of MSDs.  However, studies have shown an association between manual materials handling and low back pain. (Kuiper et al. 1999; van der Molen et al. 2005). The portable mortar mud cart reduces the amount of manual materials handling and therefore may reduce the incidence of low back pain.

Contributors:

Jean Christophe Le, MPH – CPWR The Center for Construction Research and Training

Hazards Addressed:

Availability

Multiquip Inc.
To obtain information, visit Mud Tub or contact 1-800-421-1244 mq@multiquip.com

Return on Investment

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