Utility carts are valuable for transporting equipment, materials, and supplies to different facility spaces within a wide variety of industries. For most of these industries, the carts matter-of-factly create efficiencies, but in the medical environment, they can have a significant impact on patient care and outcomes. Consequently, procurement officers for hospitals and private medical clinics are beholden to exercise care in their selection.
Big question: What are you to look for when choosing medical utility carts for your facility in Canada? Below is a breakdown of everything you need to know to make a more informed decision.
6 Key Considerations for Selecting the Appropriate Utility Carts for Your Healthcare Environment
Corrosion Resistance
Despite constant cleaning and sanitation, medical environments are innately exposed to elements that corrode metals used to manufacture lower-quality utility carts. Remember that the presence of iron, oxygen, and water creates an environment conducive to corrosion. All three of these elements are ever-present in hospitals and medical clinics as biofluids (which contain and/or carry corroding elements) come in contact with materials surfaces. Corrosion and subsequent pollution have a far-reaching impact on equipment uptime and life cycle, in addition to having a direct impact on patient health.
No material aligns so well with the utility cart needs of medical facilities as stainless steel. Its corrosion resistance ensures that it is safe for use in sensitive operations and processes while protecting the bottom lines of hospitals/clinics by providing durable, long-lasting storage and transport equipment. Forsyth Healthcare supplies brands that offer stainless steel utility carts.
Durability
Protection against corrosion is one piece of the durability puzzle, but there’s more to consider. Added strength and durability can be built to any specification when you purchase your utility carts from Forsyth Healthcare. For example, durability-centric accessory options include (but are not exclusive to) all-welded construction in addition to angled legs to provide greater stability and support. For reference, the Pedigo Heavy-Duty Utility Cart is fully welded to offer a shelf weight capacity of 250 lbs on the top and middle shelves and 400 lbs on the bottom for a maximum load of 900 lbs! Forsyth Healthcare also facilitates choice of off-the-shelf post and shelf sizes to further customize carts for enhanced durability.
Spill Containment
Bottled and contained liquids being placed, transported, and temporarily stored on utility carts create a spill risk in an often fast-paced environment. To limit the potential for these liquids to contaminate floors and create slip-and-fall hazards, utility carts should feature raised edges on shelf sides (with embossing on the bottom) to more easily contain spills while still allowing for air circulation.
Raised edges are present on utility carts sold by our company, such as the 1000 lb capacity utility cart w/ ergonomic handle by Lakeside or this light duty cart by Blickman. Forsyth Healthcare raises the bar on raised-edge utility carts in Canada.
Customizable Casters
Caster wheels are designed to be fitted to the bottom of utility carts to facilitate optimal movement and flow in a medical environment. Given that staff application requirements vary from facility to facility, you need peace of mind that you can customize caster wheels to best suit your staff’s specific needs. Forsyth works with manufacturers who provide exactly that, offering a wealth of mobility and variances in strength, corrosion resistance, element resistance, weight loads, and weight distributions. You are able to match caster type, size, and tread to suit your utility carts’ numerous applications. One example of a nuanced requirement fulfilled by Forsyth’s brand partners is the need to prevent electrostatic discharge. The Metro Inhalation Therapy Utility Cart features conductive caster wheels that prevent electrostatic discharge by conducting the static electricity out of the cart, through the wheels and into the conductive floor. Forsyth truly considers every possible client need when it comes to utility carts.
Shelving Options
This is one of the most common requests from clients in need of multiple utility carts. If you need a fleet of solid, wire, adjustable, or galvanized shelves (or all of the above) you need to connect to Forsyth Healthcare. Between the brands we carry (Lakeside, Blickman, Adriano’s Stainless, Pedigo, and Metro), we offer the greatest diversity of shelving options in Canada. For instance, this Metro MW Series 3-Shelf Utility Cart features Super Erecta Shelf construction that makes relocation of shelves quick and simple. It contains two chrome wire shelves and one stainless steel solid shelf with chrome handles that can be positioned to the top, middle or bottom with ease.
Other Accessory Options to Better Consider Staff
Everything above works to protect patient outcomes but also deeply considers the needs of your staff. We encourage you to take this a step further by speaking with staff to find out what other accessory options they desire. Forsyth Healthcare can accommodate most requests, including the provision of varied push handle styles that provide more comfortable and natural grips.
Go ahead and have a roundtable discussion with the hands-on personnel who will be using the utility carts to see what they come up with. Armed with this list of accessory requests, you can contact Forsyth for a custom solution that makes everyone happy.
Whether you now know exactly what you want or you have more questions, we’re here to help you choose the appropriate solution. Contact Forsyth Healthcare today for a friendly, noncommittal conversation. We are experts in helping healthcare clinics and facilities of all sizes across Canada.
