Washington — Use of technologies designed to prevent on-the-job musculoskeletal disorders also contribute to improved awareness, reduced mental stress and increased job satisfaction, the National Safety Council says in a new report.
For Frontline Worker Perceptions of MSD Prevention Technology, researchers from NSC’s MSD Solutions Lab surveyed 405 nonmanagerial workers who have personal experience using MSD prevention technology in their current role. These workers represented a diverse group of industries, including manufacturing, construction, health care, and transportation and warehousing. The survey questions centered around uses and benefits of the tools, as well as concerns.
Nearly 70% of the workers said they’ve experienced job-related MSD symptoms, while 77% were moderately concerned about injuries and 64% agreed that their tasks cause them mental stress.
When using the technologies, however, more than 80% of the workers said they experienced a decrease in MSD signs and symptoms or had no negative impact.
The most widely used tools among the respondents: wearable sensors (27%), computer vision (24%), exoskeletons (17%), extended/augmented/virtual reality (16%) and robots/cobots (13%).
Most of the respondents agreed that, overall, the tools have a positive impact on improved posture and job satisfaction, have a positive or neutral impact on mental stress, and lowered injury concerns.
The report includes five takeaways for effectively implementing MSD prevention technologies in the workplace:
- Match technology to the goal. For example, use exoskeletons or robots/cobots when trying to reduce a physical load.
- Treat safety technology not only as an intervention that reduces physical burden, but as a potential psychosocial intervention to alleviate cognitive burden.
- Build trust so that workers don’t perceived technology as a surveillance tool, which can cause stress.
- When deciding on technology and implementation, focus on workers’ daily experiences and well-being while measuring job satisfaction as a core metric.
- Embed worker participation and voice as a core principle of technology adoption.
“For too long, the conversation about MSD prevention technology has centered on employers and developers – not the workers using these tools every day,” MSD Solutions Lab Director Paige DeBaylo said. “Employers are looking for different ways to make their workers’ jobs safer and less physically demanding. Many report that these technologies improve safety, reduce strain and support overall job satisfaction.”
