Body Stressing Injury Risk Assessment Using Wearable Technology
and Data Analysis in Warehouse and Distribution Centers
Outcome: 46% reduction in load by removing
cages and changing position of items
The warehouse and distribution center industry has a high rate of body-stressing injuries, with 29% of the total number of body-stressing injuries that occurred in the U.S. in 2019. The industry also has a high rate of slip, trip, and fall injuries, with 35% of total slip, trip, and fall injuries in 2019. The median recovery time for injured warehouse and distribution center workers is 11 weeks, having a significant impact on productivity and increasing costs.
In 2018, 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 Objectives
Use wearable technology and data analysis to understand the physical demands of various workers in warehouses and distribution centers and identify opportunities to reduce injury risks.
Method
Measure the movements of a selected group of warehouse and distribution center workers over five weeks using work task assessments and movement coaching. In this study, 43 reports were recorded among 12 different workers in 5 different locations.
Results
The study found a repetitive load on the workers’ backs when they leaned and twisted to pick items in the different caged sections. By removing the cages and changing the position of the items, the load was reduced by 46 percent.
Download this PDF to read through the full study.Download this PDF to read through the full study.