According to research findings from the National Safety Council (NSC), investments in technology to reduce workplace musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) can improve both worker well-being and an organization’s bottom line, the NSC announced October 4.

However, employers may not have the access and knowledge they need to effectively assess and implement risk-reducing technologies, according to the white paper Emerging Technologies for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders, published by the NSC’s MSD Solutions Lab.

The white paper suggested that, in some instances, implementing engineering controls isn’t financially feasible for employers, and workers may benefit from the use of wearable sensors, which can provide real-time feedback to reduce back injuries caused by improper lifting, overreaching, and poor posture.

Technologies covered in the white paper include the following:

• Computer vision, a potentially helpful tool for larger organizations seeking to aggregate data and analyze ergonomic risks: The NSC’s “Work to Zero” initiative released a white paper last year on applications of computer vision to mitigate fatal workplace injury risks.
• Wearable sensors as a supplement to engineering controls, considering the expense of some ergonomic solutions.
• Passive exoskeleton use for manual material handling, given that studies show a reduction of muscle activity up to 40 percent: In 2019, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) voiced a concern that the benefits and risks of industrial exoskeletons haven’t been well studied.

The white paper also examined the potential benefits of “cobots,” or semi-autonomous machines that work alongside workers to perform the hazardous parts of a process or work role. These include “follow-me” robots called autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) that can move loads around a facility, following an operator, to handle material-handling tasks such as carrying, pulling, or pushing a load.

Some AMRs can even navigate a workspace autonomously using advanced sensors, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and computing to interpret their surroundings.

Autonomous and semi-autonomous material-handling equipment can be used to:

• Reduce overexertion due to material-handling tasks such as carrying, lifting, lowering, pulling, or pushing loads.
• Eliminate repetitive activities such as performing the same hand motion repeatedly in high-precision, monotonous, or pick-and-place work that poses MSD risks.
• Reduce repeated worker exposures to an environment with varied temperatures or hazards that are uncomfortable and unsafe for material handling.

This summer, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) launched a National Emphasis Program (NEP) of inspection and enforcement to address ergonomic and heat hazards in warehouses, postal processing facilities, distribution centers, and high-risk retail establishments. This year, the agency also has repeatedly cited Amazon, Inc., for ergonomic hazards in several of the company’s warehouses and issued hazard alert letters about ergonomic hazards and delays in providing medical services to warehouse employees.

The NSC’s MSD Solutions Lab was established in 2021 with funding from Amazon. The MSD Solutions Lab so far has developed an employer MSD Pledge, held a small business ergonomics summit, and produced a small business guide for MSDs.

For the emerging technologies white paper, the MSD Solutions Lab interviewed executives from a range of sectors, including agriculture, logistics, and manufacturing, to better understand industry-specific MSD concerns and to highlight successful applications of emerging technology.