Last day! NSC accepting proposals for work-related MSDs grants program
Itasca, IL — The National Safety Council is accepting proposals for its new MSD Solutions Pilot Grant 1.0.
“The goal of the grant program is to develop solutions for preventing MSDs by matching organizations with innovative technology providers to trial emerging technologies in real-life applications,” the grant website says. “The program invites organizations to submit proposals to partner with any of the six leading solution providers featured at the 2022 NSC Safety Congress & Expo to reduce MSDs caused by manual material handling across any workplace.”
MSDs are the most common workplace injury. They include tendinitis, strains and sprains, and carpal tunnel syndrome, and are the leading cause of worker disability, early retirement and limitations to gainful employment, NSC says.
The program was introduced by NSC’s MSD Solutions Lab – a strategic initiative established in 2021 with Amazon to help organizations of all sizes reduce MSDs.
The lab will award $60,000 in total funding for the 1.0 grant. Winners will partner with the following solutions providers:
Effidence: A collaborative handling robot that behaves like a true logistics assistant and follows a picking operator, thus eliminating pushing or pulling
Extend Robotic: A human-robot interface software for a non-robotic expert to tele-operate and program robotic manipulators remotely for physical tasks
Herowear: A back-assist lightweight exosuit designed to reduce muscle fatigue that accommodates bodies of all shapes and sizes and fits like a comfortable piece of clothing
Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR): For transportation of pallets and heavy goods, for example, warehouse logistics automation, and can also be hooked for custom and existing carts
TuMeke Ergonomics: A computer vision joint tracking system for ergonomic assessments
WearKinetic: A belt-mounted wearable sensor automatically recognizing awkward postures – including bending, overreaching and twisting – that are common on the job
Proposals are due May 19.
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