The National Safety Council (NSC) says musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) cost U.S. private-sector businesses nearly $18 billion a year. That figure is about MSDs—not all workplace injuries, and not the separate historical Canadian estimate sometimes described in similar terms. The prevention question is not simply whether a worker used the “right” technique. It is whether the task, tools, pace, force, and workstation make avoidable strain part of the job.
What the nearly $18 billion figure means
In a February 24, 2025 release, the NSC described MSDs as the most common workplace injury in the United States and put their annual cost to U.S. businesses in the private sector at nearly $18 billion. The release also cited 2.6 million workplace injuries and illnesses reported for 2023; that broader figure covers all workplace injuries and illnesses, not MSDs alone. NSC’s release
A separate Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety evaluation report discusses an approximately $18 billion annual historical estimate for workplace injuries and fatalities in Canada. It differs in geography and scope, so it does not substantiate the U.S. MSD figure.
Why blaming technique misses the point
Worker behavior can matter, but treating an injury as proof that someone lifted, reached, or repeated a movement incorrectly skips the conditions that shaped the movement. A task may demand frequent forceful gripping, long reaches, awkward postures, vibration, or repetition at a pace that leaves little recovery time. Training someone to move differently cannot, on its own, remove those demands.
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The useful question is therefore not only “What did the worker do?” but “What does the job require, and can the job be changed?” That means examining the task and its physical demands, then considering practical controls such as changing the tool, material flow, workstation height, task sequence, pace, or staffing. Which change is suitable depends on the work; an assessment should lead to a specific intervention and a check of whether exposure actually fell.
Use injury surveillance to find patterns—not just count cases
Injury surveillance is the organized collection and review of information about injuries and work exposures. It can help an organization see which tasks, locations, or patterns deserve closer assessment and target prevention accordingly. NSC authors have also warned that weak data collection can produce underreporting, misclassification, and missed opportunities to prevent harm. NSC’s guidance on injury surveillance
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What useful records can reveal
- Whether reports cluster around a particular task, tool, shift, or work area.
- Whether similar symptoms or incidents recur, including cases that may not be classified consistently.
- Which workers or tasks merit a closer review of posture, force, repetition, vibration, or other relevant exposure.
Records are a starting point, not a complete picture of risk. A database may miss workers who do not report symptoms, and an injury label alone may not explain the task conditions involved. Pair records with observation of the work and input from people who do it.
Assessment technology can help, but it is not the intervention
The NSC’s MSD Solutions Commons documents examples of wearable sensors and video-based assessment. Ocean Spray Cranberries, working with Feraru Dynamics, used wearable technology and video analysis to measure and mitigate hand-arm vibration exposure among power-tool operators. PepsiCo Global Concentrates worked with LifeBooster on wearable sensor data and ergonomic learning teams for upper-extremity MSD mitigation strategies. Superior Tube Products worked with 3motionAI on video motion capture to quantify manufacturing ergonomics risk and generate actionable data. Explore the NSC MSD Solutions Commons
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These are examples in a resource library, not proof that one product or method is more effective than another. Sensors or video may help capture exposures that are difficult to judge from memory, but results still need interpretation by people who understand the task and its context. Technology can support an assessment; it cannot, by itself, demonstrate that a redesign works.
Compare methods by the decision they support
| Assessment approach | What it can contribute | What to establish before acting |
|---|---|---|
| Injury records and surveillance | Patterns in reported injuries, symptoms, tasks, or locations. | How reports are collected and classified, what may be missing, and which task needs direct review. |
| Wearable sensors | Exposure information relevant to the selected device and task; documented NSC examples include vibration and ergonomic risk assessment. | Which risk factor is measured, how the device is used in that setting, who interprets the data, and what job change follows. |
| Video or motion capture | Recorded movement for task-level ergonomic review; an NSC example describes quantifying manufacturing ergonomics risk. | What the recording can and cannot capture, how the result is interpreted, and whether the task is changed and reassessed. |
Before choosing a method, define the question: Is the concern posture, force, vibration, repetition, grip, or another exposure? Then identify the actual setting and task, what the method observes, who will interpret its output, and how the employer will verify the effect of any change. The NSC hub documents case studies; it does not certify products or establish comparative effectiveness.
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Make redesign—not worker monitoring—the goal
There is an important line between assessing a task so it can be improved and continuously surveilling individual workers. As an editorial principle, collect only information needed to understand exposure and make a safer work design. Be clear with workers about what is being measured and why, involve them in interpreting the work, and focus the response on changing hazardous conditions rather than ranking or disciplining individuals.
That distinction also keeps claims about newer analysis tools in proportion. The NSC release says its guidance includes technology integration such as IoT devices, AI analytics, and automated systems for monitoring and early intervention. The cited sources do not establish that AI assessments are universally accurate, identify every cause of injury, or make a redesign effective without follow-up. An employer should treat any analytic output as an input to human assessment and verify the results in the job itself.
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Katherine Mendoza, NSC senior director of workplace safety programs, said in the February 2025 release: “MSDs are entirely preventable, and prevention starts with understanding where and how these injuries occur.” That is Mendoza’s statement; the practical implication is to investigate the work conditions and test changes rather than assume an individual worker is the problem.
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