The National Safety Council (NSC) recently released a second benchmarking survey of its MSD Solutions Pledge community—the “2023-2024 MSD Solutions Index Pledge Community Report.” The new report showed community members’ progress in addressing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), one of the most pervasive workplace injuries, according to the NSC.

The NSC surveyed 44 MSD Pledge members from December 2023 to June 2024; the data was then compared with the findings from the previous year.

Key findings in the new report include:

• Higher overall results: 81.4% of organizations achieved overall ratings in the “advancing” or “proactive” categories, with 11.6% reaching the “innovating” category—an improvement from the 2022–2023 cycle, when no organizations received innovating scores.
• Enhanced use of ergonomics programs: Nearly 89% of respondents had some form of MSD prevention and ergonomics program—up from about 83% the previous year. Organizations with ergonomics programs also reported higher scores across all MSD prevention areas.
• Increased focus on leading indicators of MSDs: This year, 65.1% of respondents reported prioritizing leading indicators over lagging ones—a significant increase from 42% in the previous year. This shift reflects a growing focus on proactive measures to prevent MSDs before they occur.
• Broader employee involvement in safety decisions: Nearly 68% of respondents engage frontline workers in safety-related decision-making, with employees regularly consulting on workstation design, work tasks, and workflow. This approach is associated with stronger safety cultures and greater trust across organizational levels, according to the NSC.
• Increased reporting of common MSD risk factors: Awkward postures, lifting, and prolonged sitting and standing were among the top risk factors cited, with low-back pain emerging as the most common MSD-related ailment—reported by 77.3% of respondents compared with only 57.7% last year.
• Expanded sharing of effective MSD solutions: This year saw a rise in organizations sharing MSD prevention successes internally and externally, with 76.7% reporting they share solutions beyond their organization. Collaborative efforts were also highlighted, with almost 87% engaging in or researching MSD prevention technologies.

“This year’s report reflects the dedication of the MSD Pledge community to building safer workplaces and protecting workers’ health,” Katherine Mendoza, senior director of workplace safety programs at the NSC, said in a statement. “With the insights from the MSD Solutions Index, we see organizations are making significant strides and identifying critical areas for improvement, proving that the MSD Pledge can drive real change in the safety and wellbeing of workers worldwide.”

The NSC formed the MSD Solutions Lab in 2021 with funding from Amazon to seek solutions for work-related MSDs. Last month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reached a corporatewide settlement agreement with Amazon, resolving 10 ergonomics cases about to go to trial before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

NSC calls 2023 fatal injury report ‘encouraging’

The NSC called the decline in fatal injuries reported in the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) latest Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) “encouraging” but called for more education and resources to keep workers safe.

While the NSC acknowledged that unintentional workplace overdoses declined to 512 in 2023, overdoses from nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol on the job have been increasing over the last decade. The NSC called on employers to do more to prevent overdoses.

In 2023, the NSC launched its Respond Ready Workplace program to help employers combat the rise in workplace drug overdoses. The group expanded its efforts in 2024 with free opioid overdose eLearning resources and the availability of bulk online purchasing of Narcan® (naloxone) nasal spray for employers nationwide.