Body Stressing Injury Risk Assessment Using Wearable Technology
and Data Analysis in Food Processing
Outcome: 48% reduction in load on workers’ shoulder and
32% reduction on back when equipment usage adjusted
The Food Manufacturing and Processing Industry has the fifth highest rate of avoidable body-stressing injuries, with 10% of the total number of body-stressing injuries that occurred in the U.S. in 2019. The industry also has the highest rate of slip, trip, and fall injuries, with 14% of total slip, trip, and fall injuries in the U.S. in 2019. The median recovery time for injured Food Manufacturing workers is nine weeks, having a significant impact on productivity and increasing costs.
In 2019, a trial program was conducted to assess how the wearable technology, smartphone app, and data analytics platform could assist in assessing and reducing avoidable body stressing injury risks.
Trial Objective
Use wearable technology and data analysis to understand the physical demands on various workers, and identify opportunities to reduce injury risks.
Method
Measure the movements of a selected group over a three-month period using Work Task Assessments and Movement Coaching.
Results
The study found that the 5 highest-risk workers had a 3 to 4 times greater increase in injury risk than the average. Adjusting equipment usage reduced the load on the workers’ backs by 32% and shoulders by 48%.
Download this PDF to read through the full study.