Body Stressing Injury Risk Assessment Using Wearable Technology and Data Analysis Among Retail Workers
Outcome: 42% improvement in load score, decreasing from 5.9 to 3.4
The retail industry has the third highest rate of avoidable body-stressing injuries, accounting for 12% of the total number of body-stressing injuries that occurred in the U.S. in 2019. The industry also has the fourth-highest rate of slip, trip, and fall injuries, with 8% of total slip, trip, and fall injuries in the U.S. in 2019. The median recovery time for injured retail workers is five weeks, having a significant impact on productivity and increasing costs.
In 2021, 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 of various workers in the retail industry and identify opportunities to reduce injury risks.
Method
Measure the movements of a selected group over five months using work task assessments and movement coaching. In this study, 1,698 reports were recorded across eight locations.
Results
The study revealed a three to four times greater risk among high-risk workers and the occupation average. Using an adjustable trolley reduced the amount of bending and reaching, decreasing the load score from 5.9 to 3.4, an improvement of 42%.
To read the full study, download the PDF here: