The nine to five lifecycle demands backbreaking work from us all. Only today, this saying is taking on a more literal sense than we had ever hoped, with more and more manual holding injuries on the rise. In many types of environments from hospitals and construction sites to restaurants and hotels, employees are tasked with deteriorating work, wreaking havoc, acute pain and injury in the workplace. The cumulative action of lifting, pulling, carrying, handling, and managing work-related stress are just too much to carry, creating strenuous pain and musculoskeletal disorders. Lower back pain is the most common of the musculoskeletal disorders, accounting for
80 percent of the American population and costing $100 billion each year in decreased wages and productivity as well as other factors.
Common triggers for lower back pain include the following:
• High levels of stress
• Prolonged static postures
• Repeating motions (particularly twisting movements)
• Inadequate back support
In today’s industries, more workers are being affected, living with unbearable pain, along with limitations in mobility and dexterity in their 9:00 to 5:00 days. Their paychecks are also being impacted with more work days being skipped in order to manage the pain. According to Megan Connell, Chief Marketing Officer of dorsaVi,”The amounts paid for chronic work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) are the most expensive of all workers’ compensations. Perhaps most alarming is that despite best efforts by health and safety professionals, these rates have remained unchanged for the last 5 years, costing the global economies billions of dollars ear year.”
With the growing pains of this epidemic, many professionals are beginning to learn that prevention is the best medicine:
• Get regular exercise
• Work on proper posture
• Select a chair with proper support and adjust it to suit your needs
• Engage the core and leg muscles when lifting to take the strain off of your back
• Avoid unnecessary twisting motions
• Take breaks during the day to walk and stretch
The New Age Solution
Luckily, tech-company, dorsaVi is offering a much more innovative and effective solution. The wearable technology is the Fitbit for business, providing organizations with an accessible tool to garner data in the workplace, assessing sensory postures, movements, and muscle activities. With its medical-grade data and sensors, dorsaVi is capable of pinpointing harmful practices that risk human injury. Using these insights, organizations may then make empowered decisions that benefit its dedicated workers and create a culture of security and productivity where individuals may thrive. Its applications extend across diverse industries including manufacturing, retail, utilities, transportation, health care, hospitality, resources, and construction.
From the Football Field to the Cubicle
In its early roots, dorsaVi began selling to physiotherapy practices in the Australian market. Its solutions reached and continue to reach the word’s elite sporting teams including the Australian Football League, the National Rugby League, and Cricket Australia. Later in its growth, the company came to realize the growing need for workplace solutions and the obvious demand from organizations hoping to decrease the prevalence of workplace injury. Pivoting towards the workplace market, dorsaVi began offering consulting services to identify risks and real solutions. Today, the wearable sensor is employed by leading businesses, transforming handling policy, training programs, and informative guides across the world. Even in areas such as
employment law, the device is seeing much use and demand.
“Traditional ergonomic workplace assessments are subjective and don’t paint a full picture of the movement strain being placed on individuals. The detailed and objective data collected through the dorsaVi assessments allows organizations to make fully informed decisions with confidence,” says Connell.
Real World Applications
In the real world, we are seeing more case stories about the impact of the technology. Seeking injury prevention for their bag handlers, Heathrow Airport utilized dorsaVi to see real results and improve the experience of its workers. Using dorsaVi data, shoulder muscle strain was reduced by 67% and back strain was reduced by a whopping 88%. Results also showcased a 60% increase in manual handling aids as well as a 53% reduction in handling injuries, overall within just one year. With impressive and quantifiable results, a greater number of organizations are beginning to see the value of objective data in its business. Although, the real return on investment is seen in its employees, those dedicated workers who are deserving of safe and positive experiences at work. No longer does backbreaking work have to be standard in business. With safe practices, we can go further and achieve more.
