Employers making ‘significant strides’ in MSD prevention: NSC report

Washington — Multiple workplace musculoskeletal disorder prevention programs have achieved the highest rating within the National Safety Council’s MSD Solutions Index, a recent report from the nonprofit shows.

MSDs include tendinitis, back strains and sprains, and carpal tunnel syndrome. They’re the most common workplace injury and remain the leading cause of disability, early retirement and limitations to gainful employment, NSC says.

The council’s second annual MSD Solutions Index Pledge Community Report explores areas in which organizations that have signed the nonprofit’s MSD Pledge are strongest and what opportunities for improvement exist.

The MSD Pledge debuted in 2022, one year after the launch of NSC’s MSD Solutions Lab, which began with funding from Amazon.

The report is based on survey responses from 44 MSD Pledge members from various industries who addressed questions covering three pledge commitment subsections: risk reduction, safety culture, and innovation and collaboration. The respondents received an overall index result, as well as the results of each subsection. Each corresponded to one of five MSD prevention maturity levels: novice, reactive, advancing, proactive and innovating.

According to the report, 11.6% of the respondents were “innovating” in their MSD prevention efforts, showing “desirable” and “ideal” alignment to the pledge while still needing to “actively search for ways to grow and improve.” By comparison, zero organizations attained the “innovating” rating last year.

Most of the respondents scored in the proactive (44.2%) or advancing (37.2%) categories.

Other findings:

• 88.6% of the respondents have some form of MSD prevention or ergonomics program in place – up from 83% in the previous report.
• 76.7% of the organizations share successful MSD prevention solutions at conferences or through external communications.
• At 50%, awkward postures/excessive bending or twists was the most common MSD risk factor reported, followed by lifting or carrying (43.2%), prolonged sitting/standing (31.8%), and computer-related repetitive activities (31.8%).
• The body parts most impacted by MSDs: lower back (77.3%), shoulder/upper arm (61.4%) and wrist (50%).

“This year’s report reflects the dedication of the MSD Pledge community to building safer workplaces and protecting workers’ health,” said Katherine Mendoza, senior director of workplace safety programs at NSC. “With the insights from the MSD Solutions Index, we see organizations are making significant strides and identifying critical areas for improvement, proving that the MSD Pledge can drive real change in the safety and well-being of workers worldwide.”