Author: KINETIC

Our new Leadership Q&A series talks with the leaders of Kinetic, and sheds light on their specific areas of expertise. This edition features Troy Fenderson, Vice President of Insurance Operations.

Troy brings more than 30 years of workers’ comp experience to his role. In this interview, we talked about employee safety programs, preventing workplace injury in the healthcare space, and Kinetic’s goal of reducing one million injuries in the workplace in 10 years.

Q- Can you share about your role, your experience, and your approach?

A – In my role, I’m focused on growing and activating our broker network, which is what I’ve been helping companies do for decades. So I bring deep experience in leading growth and profit strategies for both insurance carriers and independent agencies.

Because it’s always been my approach to provide clients with workers’ comp program management that has a lasting, positive impact on employee safety!

Our wearable safety platform is a game changer when it comes to reducing workplace injuries from strains and sprains. I’m excited to bring this cutting-edge technology to clients to help reduce their risk and lower their workers’ comp costs.

Q – Let’s talk about worker safety programs, what impact do they have on loss control?

A – Workplace safety has always been a passion of mine. Preventing injuries before they occur is simply the best way to reduce a client’s total cost of risk and most importantly, to send employees home safely to their families. 

Behavioral-based safety programs have been around for decades, but until recently, with the introduction of the Kinetic Reflex wearable platform, they were based on periodic safety training and hoping employees would comprehend, remember, and utilize the knowledge. This required constant management and a considerable investment in managerial resources. 

With Reflex we have a real-time coach on the employee’s hip, constantly monitoring movements and coaching as needed. This process is not only more efficient but much more effective in altering employees’ safety focus surrounding the prevention of sprain and strain injuries, a leading national cause of workplace loss. Through pairing our exceptional service platform and Reflex device, our goal of reducing one million sprain and strain injuries in the workplace by 2032 will be accomplished. 

Q- How is Kinetic Insurance redefining the concept of loss prevention in the workers’ comp space?

A – As I understand, we are the only company pairing wearable technology at no cost to our clients and a workers’ compensation insurance program. We provide the Kinetic wearable technology free to our clients in an effort to help reduce injuries and control loss. We use cutting-edge technologies with real-time information and employee coaching to modify behaviors that lead to improper bends, twists, and overreaching. This is accomplished through real-time engagement and coaching with the employee through the device, as well as providing a dashboard tool for risk managers to monitor high-risk areas and high-risk jobs. 

With the dashboard data, risk managers and safety professionals can identify key areas within an organization where a high degree of improper movements are occurring, and deploy engineering controls to assist in the elimination of such risk sources. Whether through behavior change or engineering controls, by reducing improper movements, we reduce the potential exposure to personal and financial loss – a win for everyone.  

Q- Loss prevention and worker safety in the overburdened healthcare industry is a hot topic – what are you seeing in this sector and how can wearable tech help?

A – Healthcare as an industry has many trends that challenge controlling workplace injuries. Staffing level challenges, increased regulation, high demand workloads, aging clients requiring more hands-on care, and an aging workforce to name a few. 

Certainly one of the biggest factors is the physical nature of the work to be completed. Most people outside of the industry may not consider healthcare heavy labor, but it can come with a heavy load of manual transfers of residents or patients and at times, in areas that are less than ideal. As an industry, if we can help healthcare workers understand high-risk postures, monitor their activities, and provide real-time feedback to prevent exposure, we are putting the power of prevention in everyone’s hands – or on their hips!

Q – Why did you choose to join Kinetic?

A – With 30 years of experience in the workers’ compensation and risk management industry, I have seen very few, if any, more innovative or progressive programs for managing a client’s total cost of workers’ compensation risk. In an industry you would stretch to call exciting, we are bringing a team and program to workers’ comp insurance that is just that. A group of passionate employees focused on reducing one million injuries in the next 10 years. Process that for a minute… one million reports not filed, one million employees not hurt, and most importantly, one million families not impacted. Reducing one million injuries sounded like a program I could really get behind!

Read the next edition of our Leadership Q&A series, where we chat with Regional Vice President of Business Development, West, Jose Cruz, about how strategic partnerships and cutting-edge technology are evolving workers’ comp insurance.

Employers ought to consider the diversity of their workforce when aiming to improve safety and reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Certain worker groups face disproportionate risk on the job, including workers of color, low-wage and older workers, and women. Because these communities make up the majority of frontline and essential workers, doing labor-intensive jobs, they face a greater risk of MSD-related injuries. 

To create workplaces that are equitable, safe, and healthy, organizations should be aware of workers that face a higher risk of MSDs due to individual and systemic factors. Understanding the risks each group faces can help employers to take inclusive action when implementing workplace safety solutions.

Diversity and Injury Inequities

According to the National Safety Council, jobs with greater MSD hazards are disproportionately occupied by low-wage workers and communities of color. 

• Low-wage Workers are more likely to occupy labor-intensive positions and be exposed to higher injury risks. They’re also less likely to report MSD injuries to management out of fear of being dismissed, losing hours or being required to pay for rehabilitation on their own.
• Workers of Color are more likely to be employed in low-wage positions and labor intensive and/or hazardous jobs. These workers are especially overrepresented in safety-critical occupations like warehousing, housekeeping and healthcare. Workers of color are less likely to report MSD injuries to management because they’re often afraid of discrimination. Furthermore, language barriers among immigrant and minority populations may prevent them from reporting concerns or seeking medical care.

Older workers and women also face a disproportionate safety risk on the job when it comes to MSD-related injuries.

• Older Workers makeup an increasing share of industrial workers, with the transportation, manufacturing, and warehousing sectors in particular employing an older-than-average workforce. These workers, especially those in labor-intensive industries, are at higher risk of injury. Their bodies’ ability to recover from work declines with age, increasing the risk of developing an MSD. And a history of an MSD increases the risk of a future MSD. Finally, older workers often require more time away from work to recover from injuries than younger workers. 

• Women account for two-thirds of frontline workers, representing over 75% of U.S. healthcare workers and over 85% of child care and social services workers. These female-dominated sectors and occupations involve tasks that put workers more at risk of developing MSDs, especially those involving repetitive high risk movements, such as manually handling patients. Additionally, workplaces that don’t recognize and design work for the physical differences of female workers can also impact the risk of injury.

All employees, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, age, or gender, need equal resources to protect themselves from injuries on the job. Wearable technology is an equitable injury prevention solution for the industrial workforce, providing workers with continuous coaching to prevent high risk movements and employers with actionable data that enhance risk assessment. 

Inclusive Risk Prevention and Assessment

Risk prevention and assessment strengthen an organization’s commitment to an equitable workplace, and wearables are an effective tool for preventing workplace injury. Here are five ways a wearable safety solution can make your company a more equitable and safer place to work:

1. Wearables are widely accessible. Wearables can be deployed across an entire workforce regardless of socio-economic status, age, gender, or race. The devices can give employees from historically excluded backgrounds opportunities to test out innovative safety technology they may otherwise not have access to. 

2. Wearables are easy to use. Ensuring workers can fully utilize safety solutions is integral to their success. Effective wearable safety devices are designed for easy user adoption. They have a simple form factor, like an unobtrusive hip-mounted device, that is designed to be applicable and valid for every person who wears it, regardless of body type or size.

3. Wearables evolve with your workforce. An inclusive, equity-focused approach to safety is an ongoing process, requiring dynamic solutions that can adapt to a changing workforce. Unlike one-time training, wearables continuously coach employees – both new and veteran – on how to move properly on the job. They can help employers to discover new sources of risk as work conditions evolve, and as the composition of their workforce changes. 

4. Wearables allow continuous evaluation of outcomes. Regularly evaluating the effectiveness of a safety solution is an integral part of a commitment to equitable outcomes. Wearable device data allows employers to measure the impact of ergonomic workplace improvements, such as training opportunities and work process redesigns. Data analysis reveals the outcomes of reduced high risk movements and, in turn, injuries.

5. Wearables enhance equitable safety culture. By empowering employees to engage in the safety process, wearables help reinforce a positive and equitable culture of safety. A wearable safety program creates ongoing opportunities for employees to participate in productive feedback as a team and propose new safety solutions to management. 

Equitable Access to Wearable Tech

At Kinetic Insurance, our mission is to improve the lives of frontline workers – we have a goal to reduce one million injuries in the next decade. We know expanding how many workers wear our device gets us closer to that goal.  By including the tech for free as part of our innovative workers’ compensation program, we hope to make it accessible to companies that employ frontline workers, and who otherwise may not have the resources for a wearable safety program.

On the heels of shutdowns and disruption caused by the pandemic, manufacturing in nearly all segments is building back quickly, fueled by pent-up demand for manufactured products. However as the sector grows, so does the potential for an increase in workplace injuries.

A Risky Business

Manufacturing can be an unpredictable and dangerous business, it’s one of the industries with the most workplace injuries. While the sector employs only 8.51% of the US workforce, it’s responsible for 15% of all private industry nonfatal injuries and illnesses.

While workplace injuries have long been one of the most common hazards in the industry, the risk has been recently exacerbated by an ongoing labor shortage and a workforce that’s aging faster than the overall national labor force.

Labor shortage

US manufacturing is expected to have 2.1 million unfilled jobs by 2030

A shortage of workers can increase the likelihood of worker injury, leading to lost  work time and workers’ compensation claims. Workers taking on larger workloads to compensate for staffing challenges are at increased risk of injury, as are new and untrained workers hired due to turnover. 

Aging Workforce

Nearly 1/4 of the US manufacturing workforce is 55 or older

A growing number of older workers in manufacturing means elevated risks of worker injuries and illnesses. Studies show when older workers are injured on the job, their injuries are often more severe and may take longer to recover from. Employees 55 years and older typically miss two weeks or longer for a workplace injury, compared to only five days for workers under 25 years old.

Strains and Sprains Drive Loss

Strain and sprain claims are a leading loss driver among manufacturers, representing 28% of injuries to manufacturing workers involving days away from work in 2019, according to the US Bureau Labor Statistics.

Typically caused by overexertion from repetitive motions, or improper handling and lifting of heavy objects, these common injuries lead to significant workers’ comp claims and costly lost work time.

Tech-Enabled Risk Prevention

Wearable technology can help reduce strain and sprain injuries among manufacturing workers, enhancing loss control. Wearables designed to reduce high risk movements actually help prevent injuries before they happen, keeping workers safe and productive.

For example, Frito-lay reduced injuries by 19%, and lost work time by 67%, when they deployed wearable tech to thousands of workers in 34 of their manufacturing and distribution centers. Pleased with the positive early injury reduction results, the company has expanded their wearable program to the PepsiCo beverage division.

Frito-Lay and PepsiCo are among many Fortune 500 companies reducing workplace injury risk with wearable tech. But this safety solution is not just for big brands anymore – middle market manufacturers are deploying wearables as well, provided at no cost with their workers’ compensation policies.

Workers’ comp programs with wearable safety technology aim to prevent loss by significantly reducing injuries such as strains and sprains. Through continuous coaching, wearables help workers change the way they move over time. A light vibration alerts workers each time they perform a risky movement on the job, helping them to increase their awareness and create safer habits.

Wearables also provide employers with actionable data insights that reveal the areas and employees most at risk. This allows management to take targeted action to further reduce workplace risks and control loss. 

Fewer workplace injuries lead to both a safer workforce, and to reduced premium costs and improved experience modification scores for policyholders.

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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 free 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.

Our new Leadership Q&A series talks with the leaders of Kinetic, and sheds light on their specific areas of expertise. This edition features Vice President of Distribution Ronnie O’Dell. 

We sat down with Ronnie, who leads Kinetic’s national appointment and distribution strategy and brings more than 20 years of workers’ comp experience to his role. In this interview, we talked about the way Kinetic works with its appointed agents, some key benefits of the workers’ compensation program, and Ronnie answers some often-asked questions about the Kinetic tech. 

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

A – I’ve had the opportunity, over the past nine months, to help assemble a limited network of forward thinking high-value brokers that specialize in the industries where our wearable device delivers exceptional results, like last-mile delivery, auto dealerships, warehousing and health care.

Prior to Kinetic, I was vice president of distribution for CopperPoint California, a $380M mono-line workers’ compensation business unit of Copperpoint Insurance Companies. I’m also a California licensed commercial insurance agent. 

Q – What is Kinetic’s approach to working with brokers, and how is it unique?

A – We work with a select group of brokerages that share our proactive approach to risk control.  

These brokers are on the cutting-edge of innovation in workers’ comp, providing superior risk mitigation consultation to their clients. Our approach with our distribution network centers around a commitment to add value as a true risk management partner. We do this by offering something no one else offers – policies that include wearable tech that helps clients to prevent losses!

Kinetic is dedicated to developing and maintaining strong relationships with our appointed agents, so they can have the confidence to provide their clients the right policy to protect them from risk. Being responsive and easy to do business with is a top priority for our entire team, from underwriting to account management. And the Kinetic partnership with Nationwide plays a significant role, as it offers deep claims expertise and exceptional customer service that further strengthens our value. 

Q- What success have you had in growing Kinetic’s distribution network?

A – We have an experienced distribution team dedicated to growing our partner network from coast to coast. Together, they hold decades of experience in commercial insurance and financial services. Since launching last November, we’ve grown to have 55 retail brokerage partners nationally, with over 175 branch offices. The premium value of submissions from our channel partners exceeds $50m per month in premiums, and is growing.

Q-  What key benefits of Kinetic’s workers’ comp program do you think brokers and policyholders find most attractive?

A – What makes our offering really advantageous – and unique – is the free wearable tech included with our policies. It’s been proven to reduce strain and sprain injuries by 55% and claims costs by 50%. This is the same tech Fortune 500 companies trust to keep their workforces safe, and we’re including it at no cost, which is a significant benefit. 

Our broker partners and customers also appreciate that our program is backed by a national brand like Nationwide – this means they receive A+ rated paper, best-in-class claims handling, and a host of specialized services and resources including loss control, online account access, a 24/7 nurse triage hotline and more. 

Finally, I’d say the premium savings and our dividend program are another key benefit. Because our provided tech helps reduce workplace injuries, policyholders can expect premium savings over time with an improved Experience Modification score. And companies that experience a “lower than expected” loss frequency can earn a sizable dividend as well.

Q – What are a few of the most often asked questions from brokers about the Kinetic program, and your responses to those questions?

A – Broker questions often center around our provided tech. A few frequently asked questions include:

Is the Kinetic device included in the price of the insurance?

Yes. There is no extra charge for the wearable devices.

Is your insurance going to be priced higher than competitors to pay for the device?

No, our underwriting and pricing will be based solely on the risk attributes of the account. 

Is the client required to use the technology to do business with Kinetic?

No, the policy holder is not required to implement the Kinetic wearable devices to bind business with us.

Is the device HIPPA compliant, and is the data private and safe from being hacked?

Yes. The device is GDPR certified. Kinetic operates a secure encrypted data infrastructure following best industry practices. Kinetic personnel are trained to securely handle any customer data.

Does the device track by GPS, track productive time, collect biometric or health data, or have a microphone or camera?

No to all, the device only tracks improper bending, overreaching, twisting, jump detection, number of steps, and wear time. It has no GPS tracking capabilities, and no microphone or camera functionality.

Read the next edition of our Leadership Q&A series, where we chat with Regional Vice President of Business Development, East, Troy Fenderson, about employee safety and loss prevention, and his 30 years of experience in the workers’ compensation industry.

Kinetic Insurance recently partnered with one of the largest distributors of parcel delivery insurance nationwide to explore the effectiveness of wearable technology for risk mitigation in the last-mile delivery sector.

SITUATION

In February 2022, working with an independent insurance agency and their national workers’ compensation insurance program, Kinetic deployed wearable safety tech at two leading U.S. Delivery Service Providers (DSPs), in a six week pilot. 

Kinetic Reflex wearable devices were distributed among the contracting companies, with employees recording over 300 hours of data. 

• DSP 1 employees were in their 20s to 30s and generally moved a higher volume of smaller packages.

• DSP 2 employees were in their 40s and 50s and typically dealt with fewer, larger packages.

The first week of the pilot was used to establish a baseline. The devices were utilized to determine a normal level of risk for participating employees, during a standard work week. Reflex measured how often employees engaged in risky behaviors, but did not provide the vibrational feedback used to reduce high risk movements performed on the job.

For the following five weeks, the belt-mounted devices provided real-time feedback when employees were bending, twisting or reaching without proper safety technique. Employees were empowered to create new habits that drive sustained behavior change with real-time alerts and on-screen data.

RESULTS

Reduced High Risk Movements

During the six-week pilot, data collected from participating employees conclusively demonstrated the wearables’ ability to drive risk reduction through behavior change. 

• DSP 1 employees reduced the number of high risk movements performed by over 40%

• DSP 2 employees reduced the number of high risk movements performed by nearly 70%

In both cases, despite differences in age and workload, employees could effectively respond to Reflex’s ergonomic feedback and make themselves dramatically safer. 

Actionable Data Insights

Beyond driving behavior change around high risk movements, the Kinetic wearable platform provided actionable data insights that revealed areas and employees most at risk.

An analysis of high risk movements by the time of day that they occurred revealed a consistent pre-noon spike at DSP 1.

Furthermore, reviewing the hourly high risk movements on an employee-by-employee basis uncovered that a single employee was driving the bulk of the pre-noon risk. In fact, this employee clearly had the highest risk of all pilot participants. Only one other employee had a comparable risk profile. 

This analysis gives DSP 1 a point of investigation. Instead of working with all employees to reduce risk, they can focus on only the few individuals who generate outsized risk for the operation. Undertaking action, such as safety training, with the two most at-risk employees can help this DSP mitigate risk even further, beyond the already significant reductions achieved through behavioral change, due to Reflex’s vibrational alerts.

CONCLUSION

Parcel delivery is one of the riskiest sectors when it comes to workplace injury. Job-related tasks require workers to repeatedly bend, reach and twist in confined spaces in order to handle and lift potentially heavy or awkwardly-shaped objects. Employees can develop musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) from loading and unloading vehicles, lifting and carrying parcels, and long stretches of driving on a daily basis.

• MSDs are the most frequent injury across this workforce and are, on average, the longest injury to recover from.

• MSDs are costly, averaging nearly $33k per workers’ compensation claim filed in 2018 and 2019.

While MSDs are prevalent in the last-mile delivery space, they are also largely preventable. Workers can be trained to recognize and avoid the risks they face each day, and employers can leverage tech-driven safety solutions designed to specifically reduce high risk movements. 

Reduced high risk movements 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? 

Call our broker success team at (833) 550-0388 or email 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 Vice President of Underwriting Steven Schafer. 

We sat down with Steven, who has 20 years of workers’ comp experience and a proven track record of leading profitable insurance organizations and building regional and national programs in key industries, including hospitality, healthcare, agriculture, grocery, automotive, manufacturing and parcel. In this interview, we talked about how technology and new data sources are changing the underwriting process, and what makes Kinetic’s approach unique in the space. 

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

A- Joining Kinetic was really exciting because the company is pioneering what will be the future of workers’ comp insurance – a tech-driven approach that can reduce claims beyond traditional loss control methods. Over the past year I’ve had the opportunity to help develop our partnership with Nationwide, build out our amazing underwriting team, connect with our valuable broker partners, and help develop new analytic tools to improve the underwriting process. 

Before joining Kinetic, I was assistant vice president of underwriting for Pacific Compensation Insurance Company, which I helped lead to a profitable $160M prior to its acquisition by CopperPoint Insurance. I’ve also served as underwriting leader of specialty programs for EMPLOYERS Insurance. And I’m a South Carolina licensed commercial insurance agent.

Q-  What are the key components of Kinetic’s underwriting approach?

A – First, let me say that our team’s experience is really the foundation of our underwriting process. Together, we have over 55 years of underwriting and workers’ compensation experience, so we’re operating with a deep understanding of employers’ needs. We combine this expertise with a proactive, data-driven approach. Our solutions go beyond risk transfer to risk mitigation – basically, we’re focused on preventing claims before they happen. We do this by leveraging real-time data from state-of-the art wearable tech to develop custom strategies that help prevent workplace injuries. 

Q – Many insurers are upgrading their underwriting capabilities with advanced technology and expanded data sources. How is Kinetic different? 

A – We’re actually providing proven injury-reducing wearable tech to every policyholder at no charge. We’re the first ones to do this in the workers’ comp space! Our patented device uses real time feedback to help reduce the number of high risk movements workers perform on the job, which can lead to injury. And it also collects valuable data about risk. This data allows us to continually improve our underwriting accuracy and efficiency.  

Q – What kind of risk data does the tech collect, and how exactly does it improve the underwriting process?

A – Our wearable collects high risk ergonomic movement data from frontline industrial workers. This workforce faces ergonomic risks every day while performing their routine tasks –  a housekeeper overreaches while making beds, a delivery driver jumps off the back of his truck instead of using the proper three-point contact, a warehouse worker continually bends improperly to lift materials, and so on. These types of high risk movements are the leading drivers of soft tissue strain and sprain claims, which represent more than 50% of all workers’ comp claims. 

The data our device collects helps us to build better predictive models by measuring the high risk movements to claim occurrence. This ultimately leads to better risk selection and improved pricing strategy.  

Q- How is Kinetic doing, so far, with risk selection? 

A – To date we offer over 147 class codes, spread across multiple industries. We currently have a very diversified national book of business in sectors such as automotive, healthcare, hospitality, wholesale, parcel and manufacturing. And our current book of business is performing very well – our actual loss frequency is 27% lower than industry expected average. 

Q – What advantages does Kinetic’s tech-enabled and data-driven approach offer to brokers and policyholders?

A – The wealth of data we have access to makes it easier for us to offer our clients custom policies based on their specific needs, which boosts their overall satisfaction. Our policyholders also have a clear advantage from access to our free wearable tech. The device has been proven to reduce injuries by up to 60%, and the data insights it provides helps employers to make better business decisions regarding safety. As they reduce workforce injuries, they encounter fewer business interruptions, and eventually experience lower premium costs.   

We’ve had several customers who were able to make quick safety and operational adjustments based on the real time data they received from the Kinetic wearable. For example, we recently had a wholesaler that was recording a lot of high risk movements at a certain location at the same time on Saturdays. We discovered this location received their shipment of inventory every Saturday and the sorting table was exceptionally low, causing workers to improperly bend. The employer replaced the lower table with a much higher table that helped to mitigate the high risk movements. This simple correction has potentially saved this employer a lot of money in injury claims and production downtime.     

Q – What kind of pricing advantage can policyholders expect? 

A – Because we’re able to price accurately, our customers receive a competitive price on their policies. We also offer policyholders access to a dividend program that rewards them for keeping their workers safe. Eligible customers can recover up to 26% of their premium based on annual loss results.  

Q – What resources does Kinetic have access to through its Nationwide partnership that enhance underwriting efforts?

A – Nationwide provides us with access to state rating bureau portals that allow us to download historical industry data to compare with our current findings and rates. These analyses are crucial in the continued development and improvement of our underwriting strategy.   

Read the next edition of our Leadership Q&A series, where we chat with Vice President of Distribution Ronnie O’Dell, who shares key benefits of the Kinetic workers’ comp program, and answers some frequently asked questions.

Commit to reducing Musculoskeletal Disorders 25% by 2025

The Kinetic team is on a mission to create a safer workplace and better life for workers on the industrial frontlines. We want our delivery drivers, warehouse workers, healthcare providers, and all the many faces of the industrial workforce to be injury-free so they can stay safe and feel good on and beyond the job site. In fact, we have a goal to eliminate one million injuries for the industrial workforce in 10 years!

As part of this mission, we have joined the National Safety Council (NSC) and more than a dozen leading U.S. employers in signing the MSD Pledge to address musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). MSDs are the most common workplace safety injury, costing employers billions every year in worker compensation, lost productivity, and absenteeism.

Musculoskeletal Disorders by the Numbers

#1 Cause of Injury

• According to the NSC Injury Facts, 247,620 MSD injuries were severe enough to require days away from work in 2020 alone.
• The median absence period from these injuries was 14 days.

#1 Cause of Disability

• The World Health Organization reports that MSDs are the leading cause of disability worldwide. 
• Approximately 1.7 billion people have musculoskeletal conditions across the globe.

Billions of Dollars Lost

• According to Liberty Mutual’s 2021 Workplace Safety Index, MSD injuries cost U.S. employers billions each year in worker compensation, lost productivity, and absenteeism.
• Overexertion injuries, such as lifting, pushing, or carrying heavy boxes, are the most expensive injury at $13.3 billion per year.
• Injuries from awkward postures total $4.71 billion, while injuries from repetitive motions cost $1.66 billion.

Source: National Safety Council

Take the Pledge

The MSD Pledge represents a first-of-its-kind commitment from employers to identify and reduce MSDs across workplaces worldwide by 25% by 2025. It commits companies to a standard for MSD prevention and helps organizations embrace and innovate MSD solutions, educate employees and employers about injury prevention and risk reduction, and share best practices globally.

We invite and encourage our customers and clients to join us in pledging to: 

• Reduce risks by analyzing the causes of MSD injuries across operations and investing in solutions and practices that reduce risks to workers.
• Innovate and collaborate by leveraging best practices and sharing learnings and countermeasures to expand upon innovations to improve safety practices.
• Build an organizational culture that values safety by promoting a workplace where safety excellence, transparency, and accurate reporting are equally valued and where everyone, at every level of the organization, is accountable for the safety and health of workers.
• Commit to a significant reduction of MSD injuries by creating safer outcomes for millions of workers worldwide and reducing MSD risk and subsequent injuries by 25% by 2025.

We hope you’ll become part of the growing movement of employers and innovators committed to reducing MSD risks and creating safer workplace environments, enhancing the physical and psychological wellbeing of workers, and saving costs on workers’ compensation, disability, and absenteeism.

To learn more about the MSD Pledge, visit https://www.nsc.org/workplace/safety-topics/msd.

On the heels of the most popular summer travel weekend (a recent survey by The Vacationer showed over 55% of U.S. adults planned to travel this past 4th of July weekend), it’s timely to consider the safety and wellbeing of our hardworking hotel workers. 

Hospitality employees are increasingly feeling the strain of unbridled demand from eased pandemic travel restrictions, coupled with ongoing staffing shortages. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in the leisure and hospitality sector is down by 8.7% since February 2020. This means hotel workers are facing more pressure to do more work faster and to work longer hours, subjecting them to increased stress and risk of injury.

Hotel Workers Face High Injury Risks

Staffing shortages and booming travel are only intensifying the risks hotel workers have always faced on the job – especially housekeepers, who experience the majority of workplace injuries in this sector. Their daily routines require labor-intensive work, such as lifting mattresses, pushing heavy carts, and cleaning surfaces. These tasks lead to repetitive bending, twisting, and lifting that can cause strain and sprain injuries.

Strain and sprain injuries are the most common workplace injury among hotel workers.

The effects of strain and sprain injuries are significant, both in terms of productivity and expense.

Tech-Enabled Workers’ Comp Can Reduce Injuries

Wearable technology can give our essential hotel workers, especially housekeepers, some much-needed support when it comes to safety. These unobtrusive devices help prevent workplace injuries by encouraging users to reduce the amount of high-risk movements they perform. Wearables continuously coach workers to use proper posture when doing risky movements, such as lifting while making a bed or bending and twisting while cleaning a bathroom. 

The result is that workers create new habits that help them to experience significantly fewer strain and sprain injuries, so they can feel better on the job and keep working.

When a hotel operator deploys wearable tech among their workforce, they experience the benefits of behavior change and gain access to new data that helps them to further reduce workplace hazards. Data insights can uncover high-risk times of the day, as well as the types of jobs, and even specific individuals, who could benefit from additional safety training. 

Hospitality employers have better access to wearable technology than ever before, as it’s now being included at no cost in innovative workers’ compensation policies. These offerings enhance worker safety, and ultimately reduce claims and lower premium costs for policyholders.

The U.S. Travel Association’s latest forecast projects that all segments of travel will continue to surge this year due to pent-up demand and consumer savings. As hotel operators deal with this increased demand and the ongoing labor shortage, leveraging a tech-driven workers’ comp program can help keep workers safe and on the job while enhancing operations and reducing 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? Click here to inquire about being appointed with Kinetic Insurance.

In recent years, automobile owners have increasingly turned to auto dealerships for their maintenance and repair services. In 2021, dealerships wrote more than 271 million repair orders, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association. This growing preference for dealership service centers, coupled with a nationwide labor shortage and unprecedented supply chain issues, has put new pressures on the industry and is directly impacting its workforce.

With fewer than normal employees and increased service demands, auto dealership employees are working longer hours, with a greater emphasis on productivity. As a result, they face a heightened risk for workplace injuries.

Overexertion injuries from repetitive motions or improper handling and lifting of heavy objects are increasingly common. When workers repeatedly lift, reach and twist on the job, using an awkward posture, they can strain and sprain their bodies leading to injury claims and lost work time.

It’s estimated that in 2020, auto dealerships paid out a total of almost $215 million in workers’ comp claims. And indemnity claims for strains and sprains are the most costly.

Tech-Enabled Loss Control

Wearable technology can help lessen strain & sprain injuries among auto dealership workers, enhancing loss control efforts. Wearables designed to reduce high-risk movements actually help prevent injuries before they happen, keeping workers safe and productive. A proactive, tech-driven workers’ comp program offers a unique opportunity to introduce this tech to the auto dealership sector.

Workers’ compensation insurance is required for auto dealers in 49 of the 50 states – and therefore something nearly every dealership purchases. New policies are now being offered by brokers and carriers, such as Kinetic Insurance, that include wearable safety tech for policyholders at no extra cost. This innovative approach gives moderately sized companies access to the same world-class technology used by Fortune 500 companies. And the same benefits!

Policies with wearable safety technology work proactively to reduce loss by significantly reducing injuries such as strains & sprains. The devices provide continuous coaching to help workers change the way they move over the long term. Users receive vibrational alerts each time they make a risky movement on the job, increasing their awareness and creating safer habits.

Wearables also provide employers with a new data set that uncovers the areas and employees most at risk, which allows them to take steps to further reduce workplace risks and control loss. 

Reduced injuries equate not only to a safer workforce, but also to reduced premium costs and improved experience modification scores for policyholders.

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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.

As brokers look to bring customers true value with risk mitigation solutions that lead to significant savings, wearable technology is emerging as a powerful tool. Proven to reduce workplace injuries, wearables are a differentiator for brokers who offer workers’ comp policies that include the tech at no additional cost.

In our 4-part Wearables in Workers’ Comp series, we’ve taken a deep dive look into how the safety tech works to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries among a workforce and how it can drive long term behavior change, as well as at how the data collected can help prevent risk in the workplace. Our final post in this series explores how to successfully deploy a wearable tech program.

Here are our top five considerations for effectively implementing wearable tech:

1. Transparency 

Worker acceptance is at the heart of success with wearable technology. Having transparent conversations about how the devices will improve workers’ experiences will lead to better worker buy-in.

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

Excerpted from “Keep Workers Safe and Reduce Costs: Utilizing Wearable Devices Pays Dividends in Workers’ Comp Program”  a webinar with SullivanCurtisMonroe Insurance Services. Watch the Full Webinar.

2. Involvement

Ensuring workers wear the devices is integral to a wearable program’s success. Getting everyone on the team involved encourages employee participation, while asking for regular feedback helps optimize effectiveness. 

One of the best ways to increase wearable adoption among workers is for managers and leadership to wear the device themselves and become experts on how it works.

Excerpted from “Keep Workers Safe and Reduce Costs: Utilizing Wearable Devices Pays Dividends in Workers’ Comp Program”  a webinar with SullivanCurtisMonroe Insurance Services. Watch the Full Webinar.

Additional tips for ensuring workers utilize provided wearables include: 

3. Integration

Wearables work best when integrated into a company’s existing safety culture. The devices serve as a compliment to an already-established workplace safety program and climate. 

Here are a few ideas for integrating wearables into a current program:

Excerpted from “Keep Workers Safe and Reduce Costs: Utilizing Wearable Devices Pays Dividends in Workers’ Comp Program”  a webinar with SullivanCurtisMonroe Insurance Services. Watch the Full Webinar.

4. Optimization

A key aspect of a successful tech deployment is fully harnessing all the resources wearables provide to gain actionable insights. Data collected from devices, and resulting analytics, can lead to valuable workplace improvements and engaging employee feedback. It can help employers:

Excerpted from “Keep Workers Safe and Reduce Costs: Utilizing Wearable Devices Pays Dividends in Workers’ Comp Program”  a webinar with SullivanCurtisMonroe Insurance Services. Watch the Full Webinar.

5. Encouragement

Sharing wins around how wearables are enhancing worker safety breeds excitement for a wearable tech program. Encourage and motivate users by communicating:

Excerpted from “Keep Workers Safe and Reduce Costs: Utilizing Wearable Devices Pays Dividends in Workers’ Comp Program”  a webinar with SullivanCurtisMonroe Insurance Services. Watch the Full Webinar.

A Series Recap

Wearables can help prevent workplace injuries and claims, and lower workers’ compensation costs. This innovative safety tech reduces high risk movements that lead to costly workplace injuries. So when employers leverage wearables as part of their workplace safety programs, it leads to two key operational advantages – behavior change and actionable data that enhances employee safety. 

For a wearable program to thrive it needs worker acceptance, which requires transparency, team involvement and encouragement. Furthermore, integrating and optimizing a wearable program can ensure a successful deployment.

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The Wearables in Workers’ Comp series is intended to introduce brokers to the basics and benefits of wearable technology included in a workers’ compensation policy. For more information on how to offer and implement this injury-reducing, cost-saving coverage, please reach out to the Kinetic broker success team.