What is a slope top? And why is it important?

A Slope top is an angular cap that is placed on top of cabinets or shelving for many applications. Slope tops can be manufactured in a variety of materials including laminate, wood, or metal.

Slope tops are used on lockers, cabinets, and shelving to display a clean and sleek environment and prevents clutter and debris accumulation by preventing stacking.

In some situations, stacking items on top of cabinets could even constitute an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violation. Stacking items too high and tempting employees to reach too high has the possibility to cause injuries and creates an unsafe environment. And there can be steep financial penalties aside from safety risks for not abiding by OSHA laws – fines can range from $50 to $70,000 depending on the safety risk.

The slope top has the added bonus of keeping working areas looking neat and clean – whether it be a school hallway or a busy office. Clutter on surfaces makes it harder to clean and promotes the buildup of dust or mites. This clean environment is especially important in hospitals and other healthcare settings.

Slope tops on EVERHUTCH mobile procedure cabinets can be easily added and removed – making it an essential feature for the mobile and flexible nature of healthcare today.

This simple solution can eliminate clutter, increase safety, and mitigate liability.

The CORECART procedure cart is delivered fully assembled straight to you. The only exception is the slope top, which can be easily installed at the top of the procedure cart. It can also be removed when maneuvering the slope top between rooms, easily fitting under doors.

Which top is right for your space is up to you, but there are several advantages to the sleek design of the slope top.

Contaminant Control

Slope tops slant at a 45-degree angle. Due to this slant, dust does not collect as easily as it would on the top of a flat top procedure cart. The slant also makes any dust or dirt visible, making cleaning a breeze. Contaminant control is critical in any healthcare setting due to the vulnerability of patients while recovering from surgery or illness. It is so critical that the Center for Disease Control provides detailed guidance on environmental infection control in healthcare settings.

Discourage Clutter

CORECART comes with configurable organization options including different sizes of basket and dividers, label holders, catheter racks, metal shelves, and interior dividers.

With these many organization options available inside the CORECART, the last thing you want the unnecessary clutter on top of the sleep design of your procedure cart. This is is especially important as OSHA standards assert that all permanent places of employment meet a basic housekeeping standard.

The slant of the slope top discourages boxes or other loose items from being haphazardly placed on top of the CORECART.

Liability Concerns

In a hospital setting, safety is essential to protect patients, their families, and medical staff. Unsafe practices – like placing items on top of a cabinet – not only presents a safety hazard but sets a hospital up for liability issues.

Injuries can result from items falling on top of staff or patients. There are also risks associated with nonfatal injuries such as back injuries and strains.

The slope top keeps items from piling up on top of surfaces and potentially falling on top of someone, avoiding injuries.

Fire Safety

The contaminant control and clutter mitigation paired together have the added benefit of fire safety. Clean and organized procedure carts make it so there is less flammable material in the area of concern should there be a fire.

The fewer items placed on top of the cart, the less of a fire hazard this could be in these essential acute care spaces.

Learn more about CORECART.