Musculoskeletal disorders remain the most common workplace injury in the U.S., prompting the National Safety Council to release new guidance aimed at helping employers identify risks early and prevent these costly injuries.
More than 2.6 million workplace injuries and illnesses were reported in 2023, with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) accounting for a significant portion, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These injuries cost U.S. private-sector employers an estimated $18 billion annually.
In response, the National Safety Council has published The Importance of Musculoskeletal Disorder and Related Injury Surveillance: An Organizational Approach, a new resource offering strategies to strengthen injury surveillance and prevention.
“MSDs are entirely preventable, and prevention starts with understanding where and how these injuries occur,” said Katherine Mendoza, senior director of workplace safety programs at NSC. “This new resource equips safety professionals with research-backed strategies to identify risks early and take action before injuries occur.”
Developed through NSC’s MSD Solutions Lab—an initiative launched in 2021 with funding from Amazon—the resource draws from 50 academic sources to provide practical guidance. It outlines standardized recordkeeping practices, system implementation strategies tailored to organizational size, and ways to incorporate technology such as IoT devices and AI-powered analytics for early detection.
The guidance also includes real-world use cases and interactive tools to help safety professionals apply surveillance systems effectively in their workplaces.
NSC is encouraging employers across industries to adopt a proactive approach to injury prevention by integrating surveillance systems into their safety programs.
