New technology could halve MSDs in British industry, report reveals

Evidence from 94 technology companies suggests exoskeletons and AI have the greatest potential to reduce the rate of musculoskeletal disorders

 

London, 20 November 2024: With new statistics from The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) showing that 543,000 workers in Great Britain reported suffering from work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the year to March 2024, 15 per cent more than the year before, Safetytech Accelerator, a technology and innovation business dedicated to accelerating innovation in safety-critical industries, today published a report revealing that emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and exoskeletons could potentially halve MSD injury rates in British industry.

 

Safetytech Accelerator’s report, Tackling MSD in Industrial Sectors with Emerging Tech, shares quantifiable evidence from case studies published by technology companies that could reduce MSDs in industrial settings such as manufacturing plants, construction sites, warehouses and logistics operations.

 

The report highlights that technologies provided by these companies could reduce MSD levels and activities that carry a high risk of creating these injuries by as much as 45 – 58 per cent.

 

Exoskeletons, suits that enhance the physical capabilities of wearers and reduce strain on muscles and joints, could deliver the greatest reduction in MSD risk (typically, around 58 per cent across those analysed) and reduce the level of human effort required to complete tasks by 41 per cent.

 

In one pilot project spanning four distribution centres, exoskeleton use resulted in zero reported back strain injuries from an estimated 50 million lifts, compared to expectations of at least ten. In another study, exoskeletons reduced injury rates from one every 14,300 hours of use to one every 94,000 hours.

 

Reported data suggests that AI could reduce the risk of MSDs by 57 per cent. Safetytech Accelerator found 44 companies with AI technologies that could reduce MSDs in industrial settings by identifying risky activities that lead to MSDs and guiding humans to perform tasks in a better way.  These companies have raised almost £500 million in funding since 2020 to accelerate innovations for use in manufacturing, logistics, warehousing and construction.

 

Dr Maurizio Pilu, Managing Director at Safetytech Accelerator, comments: “MSDs are a major workplace challenge, affecting employees’ well-being and costing businesses billions. While new technologies show great potential to reduce injuries, more work is needed to integrate them effectively into workplaces. We hope this report inspires industry leaders to collaborate, explore and share experiences with these technologies to help address the challenge of MSDs.”

 

ENDS

 

For more information, please contact:

James Taylor | Roaring Mouse Public Relations (on behalf of Safetytech Accelerator)
E: james.taylor@roaringmousepr.com
T: +44 (0)1246 938833 | +44 (0)7796 138291

 

Notes to Editors

• To download a copy of Safetytech Accelerator’s report, please visit https://safetytechaccelerator.org/downloads/report-tackling-msd-in-industrial-sectors-with-emerging-tech
• Health and Safety Executive figures are available at https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/hssh2223.pdf and https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/msd.pdf

 

About Safetytech Accelerator

Safetytech Accelerator, established by Lloyd’s Register, is the first fully dedicated technology accelerator focused on advancing innovation in safety-critical industries. We are focused on making the world safer, more resilient, and more sustainable by helping organisations operating in safety-critical industries to innovate and adopt new technology more successfully. safetytechaccelerator.org