Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to enhance ergonomics programs, but the technology can’t on its own reduce workers compensation claims, experts say.

Technology such as computer vision, which captures worker movements and uses infrared imagery to identify areas for improved motion, has existed for several years, but employers must implement risk mitigation strategies based on the data, they say.

“You need to have a comprehensive plan on how to manage the data,” said Sean McDonald, Boston-based ergonomics practice leader for Willis Towers Watson PLC. “Are you ready to take action to address what it is that you’re highlighting through your capture of artificial intelligence or from onsite ergonomics?”

Not knowing what to do with data collected through AI is a common problem for employers but a hurdle that must be overcome to improve worker movements and reduce injury claims, he said.

“We see a big gap in that clients may not be ready for what they’re going to do with that data,” Mr. McDonald said. “So, they invest in a process and want to capture this information, but they wind up just making mountains of data.”

Musculoskeletal injuries are some of the most common workplace injuries, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. They also often lead to costly workers comp claims (see box).

Risk mitigation strategies to reduce musculoskeletal disorders typically come in the form of enhanced training for employees or modifications of workspaces, said Deborah Lechner, president and CEO of Birmingham, Alabama-based ErgoScience Inc., an ergonomics consulting company.

Before the implementation of AI, ergonomists physically observed workers to assess whether tasks were being performed correctly. AI turns what was previously a time-consuming, arduous task into a speedy process, experts say (see related story below).

“Employers are extremely pleased (with AI) because it gives them an objective risk score for the jobs or the tasks that are being evaluated,” Ms. Lechner said.

The use of AI in companies’ ergonomics programs can be placed into two categories: inertial measurement, which measures worker posture and movement and can be calculated with wearable sensors that collect data on worker movement, and ergonomic applications, such as smartphone apps that record workers performing tasks to look for improper motions, said Steven Simon, senior risk control manager for St. Louis-based Safety National Casualty Corp.

“We have a long history of science and research and innovation and partnering with higher education research institutions to evaluate data and ensure that what we are doing is scientifically backed and research supported,” said Dorothy Doyle, senior vice president and general manager of risk control services for Boston-based Liberty Mutual Insurance Co.

Collecting the data is a starting point for implementing effective risk mitigation programs, experts say.

“AI software gives you great data; it shows you the different risks involved in a particular job; it can give you some basic recommendations, but it can’t really give you specific engineering recommendations to reduce the risk,” said Mike Milidonis, Orlando, Florida-based national manager of ergonomics and employer services for Genex Services, an Enlyte company.

One of the more costly workplace improvement strategies following AI data collection is redesigning a workspace.

Many employers feel “constrained” by data analysis and have difficulty finding ways to adapt workspaces to help improve worker movement and function, said Ashish Savani, vice president of product development for Rolling Meadows, Illinois-based Gallagher Bassett Services Inc.

“They have to optimize their processes — the factory environment, the construction site — (and) use augmented reality to design those workflows,” he said.

While employers in industries such as warehousing and manufacturing are already benefiting from AI in their ergonomics programs, experts see the potential for use in other sectors, including health care, agriculture and possibly even education.

“There are organizations that value and pride themselves on being employee-centric and they do see the importance of risk prevention through ergonomics and workplace safety,” Mr. Savani said. “The more mature organizations or the more mature industries do understand and appreciate that there is an upfront cost, but this cost does have a way of paying back.”

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Insurers offer technology enhancements

Insurers and technology companies offer various artificial intelligence-based programs for ergonomic assessments and other workplace safety services.

Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. created its ErgoValuator program, which it says helps employers identify overextension risks to improve safety and cut down on expensive comp claims.

The program comprises a video-based smartphone app that uses AI to record and analyze tasks performed by workers in strenuous positions, said Dorothy Doyle, Liberty Mutual senior vice president and general manager of risk control services.

“It’s analyzing the weight of what they’re lifting, the angle that they’re bending, and then evaluating (the risk),” she said.

The ErgoValuator and other tools identify “risks that we may not have seen, and they are identifying risks that we may have seen much sooner, much more easily and much more efficiently,” Ms. Doyle said.

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. partnered with San Francisco-based managing general agent CompScience Insurance Services Inc. for a specialty ergonomics program designed to prevent ergonomic risks before they occur, said Dale Hoppe, Nationwide’s Des Moines, Iowa-based vice president of workers compensation.

“By working through cameras and utilizing vision analytics centered on cameras, we can actively see what is going on on a day-to-day, hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute basis with our customers and detect things,” said Jacob Geyer, CompScience’s chief insurance officer.

Nationwide says it has partnered with multiple insurtechs to help it reach its goal of reducing 1 million workplace injuries by 2030.

The CompScience partnership has resulted in a 23% decrease in ergonomic risks detected year-over-year for policyholders, according to information provided by Nationwide.