Author: KINETIC

Last month we had the honor of showcasing our wearable safety solution at the inaugural Safety Innovation Challenge, held at the 2022 NSC Safety Congress & Expo in San Diego. Kinetic was one of six technology firms from around the world presenting solutions focused on risk prevention and elimination of workplace musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).

The Safety Innovation Challenge was hosted by the National Safety Council MSD Solutions Lab in collaboration with Safetytech Accelerator. It’s one of several initiatives the MSD Solutions Lab is launching this year to achieve its goal of preventing MSDs before they start, along with the MSD Pledge, which Kinetic joined this past summer.

Safetytech Accelerator, a non-profit technology-dedicated accelerator focused on safety and risk in industrial sectors, sourced over 100 technology companies with MSD solutions ranging from wearables to vision analytics to collaborative robots. Along with NSC, they selected the finalists for the challenge, who each presented their unique approach to detecting, moving, and transporting objects more safely in industrial workplaces. 

MSDs are the most common workplace injury and represent the leading cause of worker disability, involuntary retirement, and limitations to gainful employment. These injuries include tendinitis, back strains, and sprains, as well as carpal tunnel syndrome, and are often caused by exposure to repetitive, forceful exertions like heavy lifting.

At Kinetic, we’re on a mission to create a safer workplace and better life for workers on the industrial frontlines with our verified wearable safety platform, Reflex. Our goal is to eliminate one million injuries for the industrial workforce in 10 years.

Industrial Workplaces are a Risky Business

The jobs industrial employees perform, from auto mechanics to housekeepers to nurses, are often labor-intensive and include inherent hazards. When you add to this a growing push for productivity plus industrial safety tech that hasn’t changed in decades, these frontline workers face a higher-than-average number of ergonomic risk factors on the job, often leading to injury.

Consider a warehouse worker who is repetitively reaching overhead to select items; an employee on the shop floor who is constantly twisting to sort materials; or a delivery driver who bends, again and again, to load and unload products. These awkward postures and repetitive movements can strain employees’ musculoskeletal systems and, over time, lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) – the most frequent and costly type of workplace injuries.

Reduce Ergonomic Risks with Wearables

An ergonomic solution that helps frontline workers improve the way they move on the job, in a long-lasting way, elevates a company’s safety process and benefits both their employees’ well-being and their bottom line. Thanks to advancements in sensors and data science, wearable devices can be leveraged in the industrial workplace to change worker behaviors and uncover the specific ergonomic risks employees are encountering.

Wearable tech leads to 2 key operational advantages:

1. Ergonomic wearables use sensors that can automatically recognize risky movements and alert users with a light vibration each time one is performed. These real-time alerts help workers create new habits and drive sustained behavior change that reduces the number of high-risk postures performed. In turn, employees experience fewer injuries and lost workdays, are more productive, and find their work more rewarding.

> For example, an industrial employee who was performing nearly 400 high-risk postures on the job each day reduced his number to 38 –  a 90% reduction! – with wearable tech. The employee reported that he no longer has back pain when he goes to sleep at night.

2. Wearable tech also produces data that provide insights into how to improve workplace ergonomics, enabling employers to make data-driven decisions that lead to quantifiable results. With this information, employers can see exactly:

• who is performing high-risk postures,
• what those movements are,
• and when, where, and even why they’re occurring.

> For example, wearable data revealed a machinist at a construction equipment company was performing an average of 97 high-risk postures each day as he bent and twisted to place parts from a table into a machine. With this insight, the company modified the work process by adding a raised platform to the table. The redesign reduced the employee’s high-risk postures to 36 – a 64% reduction.

Ergonomic Wearables and Workers’ Comp

The Institute in Medicine estimates the economic burden of work-related MSDs, as measured by workers’ compensation costs, lost wages, and lost productivity, is between $45 and $54 billion annually. For just MSD-related workers’ compensation costs alone, a recent annual cost estimate for U.S. companies was nearly $33 billion.

When companies deploy wearables to reduce high-risk movements among their workforce, they have fewer work-related injuries, which means fewer workers’ compensation claims, and fewer expenses. In environments where high strain and sprain injury rates are present – such as among frontline industrial workers – wearables can reduce workers’ compensation claims costs by 50%.

> For example, a storage and information management company outfitted 400 employees, including drivers and material handling associates, in five of their warehouses with wearable tech. In one year, they reduced the cost of workers’ compensation claims by 58%.

Wearables are now more accessible to companies of all sizes than ever before as innovative workers’ compensation policies are providing wearable safety technology to policyholders at no extra cost. These prevention-focused programs include devices designed to prevent workplace injuries, helping to increase worker productivity and lower claims and costs.

Our new Leadership Q&A series talks with the leaders of Kinetic, and sheds light on their specific areas of expertise. This edition features the Vice President of Workers’ Compensation Program Underwriting for Nationwide E&S/Specialty, Dale Hoppe, AIC.

We sat down with Dale, who oversees the growth of Nationwide’s workers’ compensation line of business for ESS Programs and manages the Kinetic partnership. In this interview, we discussed the partnership between our companies, why it’s valuable, and the support and services Nationwide brings to the program.

Q- Nationwide and Kinetic launched a partnership last November, can you tell us a bit about that relationship, and how it came to be?

A – Nationwide has a long-standing commitment to investing in innovative technology companies, which led us to make a venture capital investment in Kinetic in 2020. We’re big believers in the company’s vision of leveraging wearables to prevent workplace injuries, so it was a natural evolution to partner with Kinetic Insurance when they entered the workers’ comp space last year. This partnership is another example of our use of technology to help businesses protect their workforce and make smarter safety decisions.

As for the partnership, Kinetic Insurance and Nationwide’s E&S Specialty division entered an underwriting agreement to offer workers’ comp insurance combined with wearable technology. As an MGU, Kinetic handles the distribution, underwriting, and deployment of the wearable tech, and Nationwide handles all the back-office services like claims, billing, compliance, and such. So policyholders get cutting-edge safety technology that’s proven to reduce injuries with a workers’ comp policy backed by the strength and stability of one of the largest national brands in insurance.

Q – What’s your role in the Kinetic program and what experience do you bring to it?

A – I’m Kinetic’s primary point of contact with Nationwide, and it’s my goal to help maximize the profitable growth of the Kinetic program through our partnership. I look at how the program is performing and identify ways our team can support it, such as providing access to Nationwide resources like marketing and industry events; simply maximizing the breadth of Nationwide’s capabilities. Based on our early partnership success, we are collectively looking for ways to accelerate our market share.  

I’ve been in the insurance field for over 20 years. I’ve worked in workers’ compensation claims with varying roles at Nationwide and now lead our WC Programs underwriting and services area. We solely focus on the workers’ comp line of business, which makes our team experts in risk selection and servicing a variety of clientele.     

Q- How does the Nationwide-Kinetic workers’ comp program offer value to brokers and policyholders?

A – First of all, there’s huge value in the wearable technology available to Kinetic policyholders. It creates a safer workplace that leads to premium savings. The wearable device is proven to reduce injuries by over 50%, so it helps keep workers safe, improves safety culture, and reduces lost workdays due to injuries. Fewer injuries lead to a reduction in claims, which helps improve a company’s ex-mod score and reduce premium costs. And it’s available to policyholders at no extra cost. This gives brokers a differentiated product to offer clients in industries where strain and sprain injuries are prevalent and helps position them as a true risk management partner. 

Secondly, with Nationwide backing the policies, policyholders benefit from top-of-the-line claims handling and easy online account access. And brokers can offer a policy that provides A+-rated paper, brand recognition, and superior loss control.

Q-  What is Nationwide’s workers’ comp experience and what level of support and specialized services does Nationwide bring to the Kinetic partnership?

A – Nationwide has been offering workers’ comp for over 50 years. Our programs underwriting and product teams specialize in workers’ comp and focus exclusively on specialty programs like the Kinetic program. As a specialized team, we can offer customized, value-added solutions for program managers and policyholders.

We handle claims with a dedicated claims team and our experienced adjusters have a deep understanding of the workers’ comp laws in each state. We also offer a 24/7 nurse triage program and a prescription fill program. 

Nationwide’s loss control services include onsite and virtual safety training and online safety resources. We have a variety of billing options available including several installment payment plans. And our online portal makes it easy for customers to access their policy information, make premium payments, and report claims.

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Stay tuned for the next edition of our Leadership Q&A series, where we’ll chat with our Chief Operating Officer Adam Price on the state of insurtech and how Kinetic fits into that picture from an operational standpoint.

Grocery stores and the workers they employ play an essential role in our communities. Not only do they provide people access to food, provisions, and medicine, but they also drive economic growth and provide work for millions of frontline employees. Approximately 2.8 million people are currently employed in supermarkets and grocery stores in the U.S.

With the pandemic-spurred labor shortage impacting many grocers’ ability to hire and retain these essential workers, stores continue to struggle with staffing, which places increased demand on those who work in the industry. Grocery workers are facing longer hours and increased productivity pressures, in addition to their physically-demanding daily tasks, all of which increase the potential for work-related injuries.

Several ergonomic risks are involved in grocery workers’ tasks including repetitive motion, overexertion, and awkward postures. Many of these employees handle thousands of items each day while stocking shelves, checking out items, bagging groceries, and preparing food. As such, the rate of work-related injuries within the industry is higher than average, with musculoskeletal injuries, like sprains and strains, topping the list. 

• Strain & sprain claims happen 34% of the time in the grocery sector.
• Strain & sprain claims are a leading loss driver among grocery store workers, representing nearly 40% of all indemnity claims costs. 

(Source: NCCI data for grocery stores in 2019)

Strain and sprain claims cost more per claim than the average claim in the grocery industry. And indemnity claims for strains and sprains are the most costly. According to National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) data for grocery stores, in 2019:

• the average workers’ compensation claim cost was $6,335
• the average strain & sprain claim cost was $7,293
• the average strain & sprain indemnity claim cost was $10,500

Workplace injuries result in pain and lost work time for workers, as well as lost productivity and potentially higher workers’ compensation insurance premiums for employers. However, sprain and sprain injuries are largely preventable.

How Wearable Tech Helps Control Loss

Preventing strain and sprain injuries before they happen is essential to keeping grocery employees safe and working. Wearable technology offers a safety solution that does just that. Devices designed to help workers reduce high-risk movements, such as the improper bending, reaching, and twisting that are common among grocery store workers, can help change the way workers move.

Wearables serve as a continuous coach by providing users with light vibration alerts each time they make a risky movement on the job. Workers develop safer habits over time and their high-risk movements decrease. In turn, the frequency of costly sprain and strain injuries reduces as well.

In addition to the real-time coaching wearables offer, they also collect data about how employees are moving while at work. This data uncovers areas and employees that are most at risk and provides employers with actionable insights that allow them to take specific measures to further reduce workplace risk and control loss.

Wearable technology has been successfully utilized at a variety of large companies in safety-critical industries and is starting to find its way into more moderately sized companies, like grocers, through innovative workers’ compensation policies that include safety tech at no cost. By taking a proactive, tech-enabled approach, these policies allow organizations that may not otherwise have the resources to deploy wearables to leverage the same benefits as Fortune 500 companies, namely a safer and more productive workforce and lowered premium costs.

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Kinetic Insurance, in partnership with Nationwide, is pioneering a technology-driven approach to worker safety that benefits insurance carriers, brokers, and policyholders. Our workers’ compensation offerings lower costs by equipping workers with wearable technology that is proven to reduce injuries by as much as 60% and lost work days by 72%. Want to learn more? Reach out to us at info@kinetic-insurance.com.

High-risk postures remain one of the leading safety threats in today’s industrial workplace. Awkward movements commonly performed on the job – such as bending, overreaching, and twisting – stress employees’ musculoskeletal systems and lead to costly injuries over time.

Wearable devices can help reduce the number of these injuries by providing employees with real-time awareness of the movements they’re performing that can lead to injury. Many of these movements can be avoided altogether by using proper lifting techniques.

Here are a few of our top tips and techniques for helping employees reduce the number of high-risk movements they perform on the job:

Bending

• Face the object you are moving or picking up.
• Keep your back straight.
• Bend at the hips and knees together, lowering your body towards the ground.
• On the way up, push your feet into the ground and feel your legs and hips doing the work.

Overreaching

• If possible, move your body as close as possible to the object you’re lifting before you lift it.
• If you can’t move your body close, try to pull the item closer to you using a “pick stick” or while bending minimally at the waist. Then, continue with the proper technique once the object is as close to you as possible.
• If the above options aren’t possible, try “building a bridge” by placing one arm on the surface in front of you to help support your body and share the stress on your back.

Twisting

• Before lifting an object, make sure your toes are pointed towards it.
• If the object is to your side or behind you, pivot your feet so your toes and hips face the object. 
• After your feet and hips face the object, safely lift it with good technique, as you would do while avoiding high-risk bending.

Avoidable vs. Unavoidable High-risk Postures

Not all high-risk postures performed by employees can be prevented by using proper lifting techniques. It’s important to understand what your team members can and can’t control, as well as how employers can help drive change too.

Avoidable High-risk Postures
A high-risk posture is considered avoidable if an employee has the proper space or equipment to safely move an object. 

For example, if an employee is removing a box from a cart or pallet and transferring it to another surface, as long as they have the space around them to move properly, employees can make significant reductions in the avoidable high-risk postures they perform, as they become aware of them through real-time feedback.

Unavoidable High-risk Postures
A high-risk posture is considered unavoidable when an employee’s ability to perform a proper lifting technique is restricted by space or surrounding objects in the workplace. 

For example, if an employee is removing a box from a cart or pallet and there is not sufficient space to reach it or get close to it, it becomes an unavoidable high-risk posture. This often happens with objects at the back of a pallet, or on the back of a shelf. Data from wearable tech can help employers identify opportunities to reduce these unavoidable high-risk postures by changing the setup of a workstation or using new equipment.

Using Wearables to Reduce High-risk Postures

Wearable technology can automatically recognize unsafe movements commonly performed on the job, and provide employees with continuous coaching. By alerting employees every time a high-risk posture is performed, wearables help create new habits and drive sustained behavior change over time.

Furthermore, wearable tech provides management with valuable new data and actionable insights to improve workplace ergonomics. As high-risk postures are consistently reduced, so are injuries. The end result is a safer, healthier, more productive workforce with fewer workers’ compensation claims and premium savings for policyholders.

Restaurants in the United States employ about 14.5 million workers, a workforce that is projected to grow by 400,000 jobs by the end of this year. No matter the type of establishment they’re employed by, from fast food to fine dining, all restaurant workers face injury risks on the job.

A Recipe for Strains & Sprains

While the risks restaurant and fast food employees encounter are varied, including slips and falls, and cuts and burns, strains and sprains are among the most common. Heavy lifting and repetitive motion are often to blame. In the front of the house, lifting or balancing heavy trays of dishes, reaching across tables to serve customers, and moving tables and chairs for customer seating can cause injury to servers and bussers. For kitchen staff, lifting heavy boxes or bags of ingredients, and repetitive tasks like chopping, stirring, and kneading can lead to strain and sprain injuries and claims. 

• It’s estimated restaurants and fast food employers paid out over $142 million in workers’ comp claims in 2019.
• Strain & sprain claims are a leading loss driver, representing almost 20% of all claims costs among restaurant and fast food workers. 

(Source: NCCI data for Restaurants & Fast Food in 2019 )

Total strain and sprain claims cost more per claim than the average claim in the restaurant and fast food industry. And indemnity claims for strains and sprains are the most costly. According to the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) data for restaurants and fast food in 2019:

• the average workers’ compensation claim cost was $6,403
• the average strain & sprain claim cost was $9,162
• the average strain & sprain indemnity claim cost was $9,859

On-the-job injuries impact injured workers with pain and lost work time, and employers with lost productivity and potentially higher workers’ compensation insurance premiums.

Controlling Loss with Wearable Tech

One of the best ways to minimize workers’ compensation claims is to reduce the risk of injuries in the first place. While restaurant workers can be trained to recognize and avoid the risks they face each day, employers can also leverage tech-driven safety solutions such as wearables designed to specifically reduce the awkward postures and repetitive movements that lead to employee strain and sprain injuries. 

When outfitted with wearable devices, workers can receive real-time alerts that drive sustained behavior change. With this continuous coaching method, employees can reduce their high-risk movements. In turn, they experience less soreness and fatigue, are able to keep their pace up for longer, miss less work, and experience greater emotional and mental well-being. 

Beyond driving behavior change that leads to fewer worker injuries, wearable safety devices provide employers with new actionable data that reveal areas most at risk and allow companies to take proactive steps to reduce the risk. The resulting targeted training efforts and workspace or process redesigns lead to a further decrease in injuries.

Reduced injury rates reduce a policyholder’s overall workers’ comp burden. In environments where high strain and sprain injury rates are present, like in the restaurant and fast food industry, wearables can reduce claims costs by 50%. And with fewer claims reported, E-mod scores improve and premium rates go down. Tech-enabled risk prevention, such as a safety wearables program, is truly a win-win for all parties.

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Kinetic Insurance, in partnership with Nationwide, is pioneering a technology-driven approach to worker safety that benefits insurance carriers, brokers, and policyholders. Our workers’ compensation offerings lower costs by equipping workers with wearable technology that is proven to reduce injuries by as much as 60% and lost work days by 72%. Want to learn more?

Inquire about being appointed with Kinetic Insurance or connect with our Broker Success Team at info@kinetic-insurance.com.

Our new Leadership Q&A series talks with the leaders of Kinetic, and sheds light on their specific areas of expertise. This edition features Jose Cruz, Vice President of Business Development, West.

We sat down with Jose, who leads our business development and broker distribution in California, Arizona, and Nevada. A workers’ comp industry veteran, Jose has over 15 years of commercial insurance experience in business development, point of sale activities, and revenue generation strategies. In this interview, he talks about Kinetic’s strategic partnerships with brokers and Nationwide Insurance, the value proposition of our wearable technology, and successes and opportunities for the western market. 

Q- You joined the Kinetic Insurance team last year as VP of Business Development in the west, tell us a bit about your role and your experience.

A – My focus over the past nine months has been on cultivating broker distribution in the west, activating agents, managing our limited broker network, and driving revenue. Because what we offer is entirely new – a workers’ comp program that includes wearable tech – it involves a lot of education and branding. I’m also focused on new business generation and retention. 

I’ve been in this industry for 18 years, but the ability to provide technology that aligns with risk management is unique to the insurance industry. It’s the main reason I joined the Kinetic team, along with the deep workers’ comp and underwriting experience of our leadership. This innovative tech and our strategic partnerships with both our brokers and Nationwide Insurance are what makes Kinetic so unique, and what’s allowing us to build a profitable book of business. 

Q – You mentioned Kinetic’s limited broker network, what makes the Kinetic-broker relationship stand out? 

A – We really lean into the importance of broker relationships with our limited distribution strategy, our partnership with Nationwide, and the ability to offer technology as a risk management tool.

This sets us apart in the space and allows our broker partners to offer a truly differentiated program to their clients. In addition, our partnership with Nationwide adds value because it allows us to operate differently from other MGUs. We can offer the support and services of one of the largest national brands in insurance.

We also offer deep credibility with our team of people. Our Vice President of Distribution, Ronnie O’Dell, has decades of workers’ comp experience and the ability to activate and contract brokers overnight. And our underwriting team is led by Steven Schafer, who has a long-successful track record in the industry. All of these things strengthen our relationship with our brokers – and we’re seeing the fruits of that with where we are today.

Q- How does Kinetic’s tech-enabled approach to risk management further strengthen your partnership with appointed brokers?

A- Our cutting-edge wearable tech is something completely different, it’s providing another risk management platform that the insurance industry hasn’t had before. The industry typically has safety consultants from the carrier and agency side performing normalities of risk management from an OSHA compliance perspective. But Kinetic has this tool, this tech that can hone in on a specific area of the body to eliminate injury and mitigate risks. From a cost containment insurance perspective it’s something we just haven’t seen before. 

So the wearables make a big difference to brokers who gain another access point to analyze risk management, and also to policyholders who are always looking at the insurance cost continuum. It adds another dynamic piece that most risk management carriers without technology don’t have because they don’t have the data. 

Q – What successes or trends are you seeing in your region? 

A – Our workers’ comp program and wearables are gaining attention in industries where folks are constantly performing high-risk postures, like parcel delivery (the Amazons and FedExes), the automotive dealership space, and manufacturing. This is where we can really make a difference. 

A success I can point to is our strong, really consistent, forward-thinking underwriting. We have a robust strategy to build profitability, and leadership that understands different states and regions geographically. This is especially important in California where it’s different than other areas.

Q – What’s next for the west market? Any opportunities you’d like to highlight? 

A – We’ll continue to grow the brand of Kinetic and Nationwide! The overall goal is penetration through appointing agencies and identifying practice leaders in the industry segments Kinetic targets, which are ones that benefit from the risk management tool of our technology. This also means continuing to activate our brokers and turning successes into placements of accounts so they can start to get the experience that will lead to more opportunities. 

With Kinetic technology, there’s a real opportunity for insureds who have a risk management mindset or safety culture in place. Or for those who may have some pains and are looking for tools to help with risk management or to create a safety culture. We provide this tool with our wearable tech. It’s game-changing!

Read the next edition of our Leadership Q&A series, where we chat with Nationwide’s Vice President of Workers’ Compensation Program Underwriting Dale Hoppe, about Nationwide’s unique partnership with Kinetic and the support and services it provides.

At a residential healthcare facility in California, leadership emphasized taking care of their hardworking caregivers alongside providing the best care for patients. In an ongoing effort to keep nurses healthy and safe, the organization took a proactive approach to workplace safety. They leveraged the free, proven safety technology included with Kinetic’s workers’ compensation program to help prevent injuries and reduce workers’ compensation claims.

SITUATION

Nurses at the facility, like other workers in the healthcare industry, faced a higher than average risk of sprain and strain injuries from labor-intensive work such as patient mobility activities.  Moving and repositioning patients required repetitive strain and overexertion, including excessive lifting, bending, twisting and reaching. 

While the company provided training and equipment to help move and lift patients, this alone did not completely eliminate risk. And with nurses employed around the clock, preventing strain and sprain injuries became a primary safety concern. 

Nurses are especially vulnerable to back injuries, which are the most common and costly type of injury in the sector, resulting in lost work time and expensive workers’ compensation claims. 
     
> Compared with other professions, nurses have a six times higher prevalence of back injury.
> In long‐term care facilities in the U.S., back injuries among nurses are estimated to cost 
    over $6 million in indemnity and medical payments.
> Nurses’ compensation for back injury comprises 56% of all indemnity costs and 55% of all 
    medical costs.

National Library of Medicine

SOLUTION

The residential healthcare facility leveraged Kinetic’s wearable safety technology, included free with their workers’ compensation program, to help improve nurses’ body mechanics and lower their risk of injury. Devices were deployed among 50 Registered Nurses, Licensed Vocational Nurses and Certified Nurse Assistants, across three shifts.

To launch the wearable program, the management team completed a 45-minute virtual training prior to deploying the devices. The training provided the information necessary to explain the benefit of Kinetic tech to their nurses and teach them how to wear their devices properly. 

Nurses wearing the Kinetic device received a real-time alert when they were bending, twisting or reaching without proper safety techniques. As such, the belt-mounted device served as an always-on, continuous coaching system. Employees were empowered to create new habits that drove sustained behavior change with real-time alerts and on-screen data.

“Keeping our nurses safe is a top priority for us. My team and I have seen an improvement in our overall body mechanics due to the implementation of Kinetic’s safety technology, and we will continue to encourage our nurses to stay focused on improving safety.”

Director of Staff Development

RESULTS

By combining wearable technology with their existing safety training, the company reduced high risk movements among their nurses, which leads to fewer workplace injuries and claims. They experienced no strain and sprain claims after deploying the Kinetic devices.

Reduced High Risk Movements

After the first month, the median number of high risk postures performed per hour across the entire company’s workforce was reduced by 44%. And in the six months following the initial deployment, consistent usage of the wearable technology led to lasting behavioral change and a 58% reduction of overall risky movements.

Actionable Data Insights

Industry studies show Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) are at particular risk of injury, due in part to it being an entry-level nursing position. Data Insights from Kinetic devices revealed the average CNA at the facility performed three times as many high risk postures as the other job roles (LVN/RN). Knowing this subsector of their workforce was at the highest risk for injury, the company could focus safety efforts among those nurses, and provide targeted coaching to further reduce risk.

“The Kinetic safety devices we received as part of our workers’ comp policy have helped our employees be more aware of how they are bending and stooping as they maneuver patients. So far, we’ve had zero claims while using Kinetic technology.”

Nursing Home Administrator

CONCLUSION

Through Kinetic’s tech-enabled workers’ comp program, the residential healthcare facility was able to deploy the same proven safety technology used by Fortune 500 companies and reap the same benefits. The wearable program reduced high risk movements that directly correlate to reduced injury rates and reduced claims, which can lead to lowered workers’ comp premium costs.

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About Kinetic Insurance

Kinetic Insurance, in partnership with Nationwide, is pioneering a technology-driven approach to worker safety that benefits insurance carriers, brokers, and policyholders. Kinetic workers’ compensation offerings lower costs by equipping workers with wearable technology that is proven to reduce injuries by as much as 60% and lost work days by 72%. 

Want to learn more about Kinetic’s Technology Program?

Call our Tech Ops team at (833) 550-0388 or email info@kinetic-insurance.com.

When wearable tech is included in a workers’ compensation policy, it can help insureds create a safer workplace with fewer injuries incurred on the job. This makes for a safer, healthier, and more productive workforce, as well as offers an opportunity for policyholders to save on their workers’ comp premiums. 

To get the most from wearable tech, companies need to ensure the right workers are wearing the devices for the right amount of time. Insurers can use injury data and prior claims to help determine which employees will benefit most from wearing a safety wearable. Typically, it’s those determined to be at the highest risk, based on the highest risk job functions. 

For optimum results, workers must wear the devices regularly. In the companies where we’ve seen the most impact, employees wear the devices for an average of 20 hours per week. To help companies reach this goal – which allows them to reduce injuries and save on premiums – we’ve compiled our top tips for increasing wearable tech participation in the workplace.

Share these 5 tips with clients that are leveraging a tech-enabled workers’ comp program to help them encourage worker adoption:

1. Explain the program’s intent for better worker buy-in

An open dialogue and well-communicated intentions build a strong foundation for success. Early on, let your team know how the devices will and will not be used:

• Define the intent and goal to reduce high-risk behaviors and prevent workplace injuries.
• Anticipate and address misconceptions around privacy and data collection, such as whether the device has a microphone, camera, or GPS, and who can see the data.
• Set realistic expectations. For example, some high-risk behaviors are unavoidable, but data analysis can lead to workplace improvements.

2. Be involved to encourage employee participation

When leadership is engaged in a wearable safety program, workers tend to follow. Lead by example and initiate ongoing conversations about the program.

• Wear the device and become an expert on how it works.
• Ask employees why they’re not wearing their devices to discover difficulties.
• Set goals and offer incentives for participation.

3. Provide proper training

Make it easy for employees to understand exactly how to utilize wearables. Provide workers with thorough introductory training on:

• How to operate the device, including where to get and return it, how to put it on and wear it, and how to turn it on and off.
• What risks the device is detecting, how it will notify you of a potential risk, and what to do when it does.  
• Additional features and functions the device offers, such as progress and goal tracking, gamification, and activity tracking.

4. Work wearables into your existing safety culture

Wearables can work as a complement to existing workplace safety programs and cultures. Consider ways the devices can help build upon and enhance your current program:

• Present wearables as a personal safety coach.
• Find ways to fit the new device into your existing routines.
• Look for ways your data could enhance your current program, like scheduling regular safety meetings or sharing new safety observations.

5. Share wins to highlight ‘what’s in it for me’

Let your team know how wearables are enhancing workplace safety. Communicate:

• Positive impacts on employees, like individual and group improvements and high participation rates.
• Positive impacts on the company, such as constructive changes to the workplace and increased productivity and efficiencies.

By helping policyholders increase employee participation in a workers’ comp-provided wearable program, you can help them improve workplace safety and control loss.

This month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a five-year regional initiative to reduce worker injuries and illnesses in the warehousing, storage, and distribution yards industries. The initiative, which focuses on employers in Pennsylvania, Delaware, the District of Columbia, and West Virginia, follows a 2020 Bureau of Labor Statistics finding that the warehousing and storage industry’s injury rate is almost twice that of all private industries. Nearly five of every 100 warehouse workers get injured on the job, compared to nearly three of every 100 private industry workers.

The OSHA program is the latest headline about warehouse worker safety, launched amidst growing reports of the hazardous conditions workers in this sector face every day, including ergonomic risks. In recent years, increased worker productivity requirements have been enforced to keep up with the growing e-commerce demand. This pressure on workers to move at a fast pace leads to muscle strains and repetitive motion injuries.

• Strain & sprain claims happen 42% of the time in the warehouse/wholesale sector.
• Strain & sprain claims are a leading loss driver among warehouse/wholesale workers, representing 41% of all claims costs. 

Strain and sprain injuries are costly for employees and employers alike. Costs per claim for these injuries are higher than the average claim cost for this industry. According to the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) data for wholesalers in 2020:  

• the average workers’ compensation claims cost was $11,363
• the average strain & sprain claims cost was $14,515

Wearables Enhance Loss Control

Reducing strain and sprain injuries among warehouse workers is key to keeping them safe and on the job. Wearable technology designed to reduce high risk movements – like improper bending, reaching, and twisting that is common among warehouse workers – can prevent injuries before they happen. These ergonomic wearables provide continuous coaching to help workers change the way they move. A light vibration alerts workers each time they make a risky movement on the job, increasing their awareness and helping them to create safer habits over time. As high risk movements decrease, the frequency of costly sprain and strain injuries goes down as well.

Data collected from wearables also provide employers with actionable insights that uncover areas and employees that are most at risk. In turn, management can take specific measures to further reduce workplace risk and control loss.

For example, Iron Mountain reduced injuries by 64% year over year among hundreds of material handling associates in their warehouses, and drivers, after outfitting them with wearable tech. They also experienced a 58% reduction in their cost of worker’s compensation claims. Supervisors used data collected from the devices to create meaningful coaching moments with associates. After 12 months, Iron Mountain expanded its wearable program from five sites to over 60 and is making it an integral part of its safety program and culture.

While many Fortune 500 companies are successfully utilizing wearable technology to reduce injuries among their workforce, most moderately sized companies have traditionally not had the resources to deploy this innovative safety tech. Now, however, workers’ compensation policies are available that include wearable safety tech for policyholders at no extra cost. This proactive, tech-driven approach to workers’ comp offers a unique opportunity to extend wearable tech to more companies in the warehouse and wholesale sector, benefiting employees and employers alike.

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Kinetic Insurance, in partnership with Nationwide, is pioneering a technology-driven approach to worker safety that benefits insurance carriers, brokers, and policyholders. Our workers’ compensation offerings lower costs by equipping workers with wearable technology that is proven to reduce injuries by as much as 60% and lost work days by 72%. Want to learn more? Click here to inquire about being appointed with Kinetic Insurance.