Safety Tips for Castors & Wheels

Indian SMEs rarely care about the safety factors when using the castor wheels and the complete procedure from castor wheel purchase to installation is left to the shop floor manager who is not well informed. This can result in fatal accidents sometimes, especially where heavy loads are involved.

Thus a small caster wheel can result in heavy losses in the form of manpower injury or equipment damage for an SME. This fact makes it very clear that safety factors need to be considered when choosing or using the castor wheels. Ignorance of safety can prove to be very costly for an organization in terms of damage, organization shutdown or even death of a key worker in a worse case.

Ignore these safety factors at your own peril. Comfort castors advises all its customers to place safety first before buying the right castor. We advise the following 4 safety tips for the caster wheel:

1. Chose the Right Size

Choosing the right castor wheel size is extremely important avoid any accidents. If one choses a lower diameter caster, the centre of gravity is closer to the ground and this can result in trolley overturning if pushed with full force. Similarly if a bigger diameter wheel is used in a low height trolley, its centre of gravity is higher which results in little effort in moving the trolley.

2. Castor Wheel Installation

If the castor wheels are not installed properly in the equipment or are not installed in the correct order, accidents can happen during running. Swivel castors are generally installed at the front of the trolley for maneuvering it properly. If fix castors are installed at the front, it will skid and cause injury to the worker. Further, the top plate needs to be attached well to the bottom of the trolley. If there is any gap left in the installation, it will cause an accident anytime.

3. Chose the right material

Castor wheel Material can indirectly result in accidents. For example if a cast iron castor is used for a long time over concrete flooring, it will cause puddles in the floor, which may cause trolley overturning or worker injury.  A soft tread castor on hard floor can result in unnecessary effort and cause injury.

4. Unbalanced Loading Equipment

This is also a factor, which is often ignored. You have chosen the best castor wheel but if the loading equipment is unbalanced or overloaded, nothing can prevent an accident. Thus, equipment should be thoroughly examined before installing the right castor wheel.

Thus, these safety factors if taken care of, will avoid fatal accidents and provide complete peace of mind to the managers and shop floor workers. If you would like to know more about our castor wheels or would like to examine some castor wheel samples, please write to us at sales@comfortcastors.com or browse our product page to chose the right castor wheel for your need.