HeroWear, an occupational exosuit company, has revealed new, long-term injury data collected across multiple companies that show the “significant impact” of exosuits on worker back injury incidence.
After deploying HeroWear Apex 2 exosuits at multiple distribution centers in the United States, worker injury data from over 280,000 hours of work were collected and analyzed.
This dataset is equivalent to 140 full-time employees working for one year while regularly wearing exosuits, encompassing an estimated 50-60 million lifts by workers.
Remarkably, the study found that zero back injuries were reported among workers wearing exosuits. Additionally, exosuit users reported a 25 percent decrease in work-related bodily discomfort and a 20 percent reduction in work-related fatigue on average.
Before rolling out exosuits, these distribution centers would expect an estimated 10.5 back injuries throughout this period based on historical injury rates.
Mark Harris, HeroWear CEO, says: “These are exciting results for companies looking to reduce injury risk for their workers. Our clients are committed to both protecting their people and saving healthcare costs.
“We are encouraged to see our users are not just safer at work, but their quality of life is improving. Users report they are less sore at work and less tired at the end of the day, with many describing that they are using this additional energy to spend more time doing things they love.”
Previously, there was little long-term injury data regarding industrial exoskeleton or exosuit use even though use of the device is rapidly emerging across industries to reduce back strain.
Dozens of academic and industry studies have validated the effectiveness of HeroWear’s exosuits, which typically take 20-40 percent of the load off the user’s back muscles as they perform repetitive bending and lifting motions.
URM—The number one food distributor in the Inland Northwest—and two other companies implemented the Apex 2 exosuit in four select US distribution centers and used it regularly for months, and were unified in their evaluation of the exosuit’s impact on their workforce:
● “We take pride in protecting our hard-working warehouse pickers. The data proves how HeroWear’s product is truly changing the game,” says URM’s Director of EH&S Phil Heide. “We look for innovative ways to improve the quality of our team members’ lives, and HeroWear is helping us do that.”
● A distribution director from a major paint manufacturer says, “Ensuring safe warehouse conditions is a top priority for our company that will continue to advance with changing technology. Workers who wore HeroWear’s Apex 2 have said they feel less fatigue and discomfort.”
● “HeroWear’s team helped create a smooth training and implementation process,” says a distribution leader from an international perishable grocery chain that participated in the study. “Our workers appreciate coming to work knowing we’ve provided the exosuit to protect their long-term health.”
Dr Karl Zelik, HeroWear co-founder and chief scientific officer, says: “People have been asking for longitudinal data on exosuits for years, so we were excited to gather and share this injury data reported by clients.
“These and other clients seeing success are expanding and rolling out exosuits with more workers and at additional sites. We are very data-centric and plan to keep collecting data for millions of hours.
“We will keep learning, sharing, and focusing on how exosuits impact injury rates over time, across different sites, and industries. So far, results have been outstanding, and we’re thrilled this technology can help people do their jobs safely and without sacrificing their bodies.”
Overexertion at work costs US businesses $12.5 billion annually, with back pain also ranking as the leading cause of disability in 160 countries.
With that in mind, HeroWear’s Apex 2 not only protects workers but also yields a financial return on investment (ROI), returning up to 2.4X the deployment cost in the first year based on injury reduction alone.
