Based on 2005 statistics from the National Safety Council (NSC), the US had 142,946,000 documented workers. The total cost to work related injuries and deaths in the US was $160.4 billion. Manual material handling (MMH) work related injuries was a major contributor to a large percentage of the over half a million cases of musculoskeletal disorders reported annually in the States.
Musculoskeletal disorders can result in protracted pain, disability, medical treatment, and financial stress for those afflicted with them, and employers often find themselves paying the bill, either directly or through workers’ compensation insurance, at the same time they must cope with the loss of the full capacity of their workers.
Scientific evidence shows that effective ergonomic interventions can lower the physical demands of MMH work tasks, thereby lowering the incidence and severity of the musculoskeletal injuries they can cause. This could help reduce the amount of time lost because of work related injuries. The NSC estimated that in 2005 the number of workdays lost by US employees was 80,000,000 days. Their potential for reducing injury-related costs and time lost because of work injuries alone makes ergonomic interventions a useful tool for improving a company’s productivity, product quality, and overall business competitiveness.
