Morgan Perry

Industrial Design, 2014

The Linen Lift was inspired by an interview with the director of employee disability management at a large hospital system.  Of the employee accident claims she managed, those involving back injuries with environmental service workers were the most prevalent, costly and debilitating. Each year, multiple injuries of the back and shoulder occurred among these workers from the process of moving bags of soiled linens from their collection hampers to the larger transport carts. This project sought to apply new design concepts to current process in order to reduce worker injury.

The standard methods and carts involved in the linen collection process have remained largely unchanged over the years despite relatively frequent employee injury.  With the widespread use of existing collection carts, transport hampers and trucks needing to haul as much volume as possible, a total redesign was not financially feasible.  Instead, the design process focused on a new intermediary device that would function within the existing system yet perform those motions that were injury producing.  Additionally, only a few of these would be needed to support each facility thus maintaining a cost effective solution.

This new device contains a lift mechanism that deposits the soiled linen bags into the standard transport cart already in wide use. It performs the repeated movements of vertical lift and extension which were the root cause of the employee back and shoulder injuries.

The Linen Lift's important features include:

• Handles- side handles allow for easy maneuverability
• Wheel lock- foot pedal provides easy activation of the wheel lock to ensure machine will not move during use
• Loading door- front-loading door is located at a comfortable height to facilitate the ease of bag deposit
• Indicator light- signals that lift mechanism is in use and that the door is locked
• Together, these features provide an easy to use solution to the problem of back strain and injury for the health care linen worker

Morgan Perry is a 2014 graduate from the Industrial Design program at The Oho State University. Known for her insightful approaches to both consumer and industrial problems, Morgan's previous design works include home improvement products, a medical device, and a hospital lift utility to protect environmental service workers from back injury.  Morgan's medical device, the DuoPress, was recognized and displayed at the 2013 IHA show in Chicago.  Complementary to her design work, Morgan enjoys free time activities such as painting, photography, and home improvement projects.