A new collaboration between the National Safety Council (NSC) and a dedicated technology accelerator with a focus on industrial safety will focus on creating technology to combat MSDs, or musculoskeletal disorders.
NSC’s MSD Solutions Lab has partnered with Safetytech Accelerator, a fully dedicated technology accelerator focused on safety and risk in industrial sectors, to build and run an open innovation lab to help facilitate development of next generation MSD prevention technology.
MSDs = 30% of unwanted days off, cost $20 billion/year
Tendonitis, back strains and sprains, carpal tunnel syndrome and other MSDs affect almost one-quarter of the global population and are the leading cause of disability and employment limitations among workers.
MSDs also pose a significant challenge to businesses as they account for 30% of unwanted days away from work, totaling almost $20 billion in costs per year to U.S. employers.
The collaboration between MSD Solutions Lab and Safetytech is part of NSC’s effort to tackle the widespread issue of MSDs by preventing them before they start. The best tech solutions to emerge from the joint innovation lab will be spotlighted at the 2022 NSC Safety Congress and Expo in September.
NSC and Safetytech have collaborated before on a pilot program “to help employers trial and adopt safety technology to save lives,” according to NSC.