The Wall Street Journal - 06.03.2020

R4| Friday, March 6, 2020 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.

JOURNAL REPORT|WORKPLACE TECHNOLOGY

T

he future of indus-

trial ergonomics

isn’t a person with

a clipboard check-

ing workers’ pos-

ture.

Warehouse op-

erators and manu-

facturers are now

testing wearable technology intended

to stave off injuries from repetitive

tasks like lifting boxes that can exact

a significant toll on workers’ bodies

over time.

Companies includingWalmartInc.

andToyota MotorCorp. are experi-

menting with sensors that identify

when workers engage in risky move-

ments—say, bending their backs with-

out squatting—and prompt them to

change their form in real time. The

devices also collect data that employ-

ers can use to assess how new equip-

ment, tasks or changes in production

volume affect worker safety.

Some firms also are testing light

but strong garments called exosuits

and more-flexible types of exoskele-

tons that help unload strain from the

lower back or shoulders but are de-

signed to be less cumbersome than

versions with rigid metal frames.

Overexertion in lifting or lowering

was one of the most common events

leading to occupational injuries

among laborers and freight and stock

employees in 2018, the most recent

year for which data were available,

according to the Bureau of Labor Sta-

tistics. The group had the third-high-

est rate of days away from work due

to nonfatal injury and illness at 264.1

per 10,000 full-time workers, trailing

only police and sheriff’s patrol offi-

cers and nursing assistants.

“We pay workers to use their bod-

ies for lifting, and so there is a cumu-

lative effect,” says Ed Napiorkowski,

general manager of safety, health and

environment for Australian whole-

salerMetcashLtd., which is conduct-

ing a six-month pilot of wearable sen-

sors from New York-based startup

StrongArm TechnologiesInc.

About 100 workers at Metcash gro-

cery, liquor and hardware distribution

facilities outside of Melbourne are

wearing StrongArm’s harness-

mounted devices on their chests as

they pick out cases of beer or hard-

ware items and drive pallet-laden

forklifts around the warehouse.

person’s body must have done to

make it move that way, then deter-

mines whether the motion is high

risk.

Direct observation isn’t as precise

because it can cause people to alter

their movements, Mr. Elhawary says.

Many ergonomics professionals “still

use tape measures,” he says, “so

bringing data to that is helpful.”

Donald Keim, Iron Mountain’s di-

rector of safety and health programs

and compliance in North America,

says on average the company has ex-

perienced a 45% reduction in at-risk

postures that could lead to injuries

across 18 markets in North America

over three years. He says the com-

pany is expanding the program to

more than 60 locations this year.

Toyota also is experimenting with

lightweight exoskeletons to reduce

upper-body strain among workers

performing repetitive overhead tasks

that can lead to shoulder injuries.

Companies such asU.S. Bionics

Inc., which does business as SuitX, are

rolling out increasingly flexible exo-

skeletons, including models that can

be worn under work jackets. Others

are taking the concept further with

strong but flexible textile-based sys-

tems called exosuits that feel more like

clothing.

An exosuit developed by Nashville,

Tenn.-basedHeroWearLLC uses elas-

tic bands that run across the back

and connect to the shoulders and

thighs to absorb some pressure from

lifting.

“The elastic band stretches as you

lean down, which reduces the

load....Because the elastic has stored

up energy in the band, it makes it

easier to pop back,” says Karl Zelik,

HeroWear’s chief scientific officer

and an assistant professor of mechan-

ical engineering at Vanderbilt Univer-

sity.

Workers can turn off the spring as-

sistance so the exosuit doesn’t ham-

per them in other tasks. HeroWear

says tests show the device reduces

peak force in back muscles by about

20% during lifting.

HeroWear has tested the exosuits

in pilots with a number of third-party

logistics providers and retailers, says

CEO Mark Harris. The system is set to

go on the market in March.

Ms. Smithis a reporter for The

Wall Street Journal in New York.

[email protected].

BYMATTHEWKASSEL

When it comes to putting new technology in

the workplace, the easiest part is often picking

the technology. The trickier part is introducing it

to employees.

If you do it wrong—and even if you have the

best of intentions—employees may end up feel-

ing alienated by the change and reject it, intro-

ducing a whole new set of problems, says Kevin

Craig, an assistant professor in the information-

systems and statistics department at Baruch

College’s Zicklin School of Business.

Here’s a look at some best practices when it

comes to changing technologies in the office.

Know the workflow.

Companies often rush into adopting a flashy

new technology that doesn’t end up meshing

well with their usual workflow, says David

Johnson, a principal analyst at Forrester Re-

search Inc. who advises companies on employee

experience and workplace productivity. This

happens, he says, when managers haven’t made

an effort to understand how employees do their

jobs on a granular level and exactly how the

new technology would help them do that work

more effectively. The result can be disgruntled

workers who either don’t use the tool or work

lesseffectively because of it.

Maintain a human touch.

Managers should consider how workers will re-

act to new technology emotionally and try to

relate to those feelings, Mr. Johnson says. There

are a number of concerns workers have as new

technology encroaches on the workplace, includ-

ing the fear that new tools may cost them their

jobs. There are also the day-to-day frustrations

associated with adjusting to new technologies,

which take time to learn.

Some employees may require extra guidance

or attention, Mr. Johnson says. Introducing a

new technology is an opportunity for managers

to demonstrate their ability to be supportive of

employees as individuals, he says.

Start small.

As a general rule, managers should try not to

roll out a new technology to every employee at

the same time, says Gerald Kane, a professor of

information systems at Boston College’s Carroll

School of Management. At any company, there

will be some workers who are more interested

than others in learning how to use new tools,

so it’s important to seek out a “coalition of the

willing,” and introduce changes to this group

first, Prof. Kane says.

Prof. Kane recommends trial periods of six or

eight weeks to implement small changes with

measurable results, which companies can learn

from and build on.

Have patience.

New technology also can take longer than ex-

pected to bring about performance improve-

ments. Indeed, research suggests that compa-

nies may see a dip in productivity after a new

technology is introduced, Prof. Kane says.

On average, it can take about six months be-

fore productivity goes up, he says, though it

may be less for simpler technologies.

Be transparent.

WorkTango, anemployee-feedback software

business, recently rolled out an organization-

wide change, switching from one suite of office

software to another, says Rob Catalano, the

company’s co-founder. The reason, he says, was

to strengthen WorkTango’s information secu-

rity.

When the launch came, Mr. Catalano assumed

it would be easy for employees to switch sys-

tems for simple tasks like email, file sharing and

internal communications. But because the lead-

ership team failed to provide context for the

switch, employees were initially confused by the

purpose of the new interface and frustrated

that common tasks were taking much longer

than before.

When management provided an explanation

for the change, there was broad acceptance, Mr.

Catalano says. The lesson, he says, is that it is

important to maintain clear communication

whenever new technologies are introduced.

Expect the unexpected.

It’s difficult to predict the problems that will

arise when a new technology goes live, says

Lynn Wu, an assistant professor of operations,

information and decisions at the Wharton

School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Prof. Wu says she helped a large consulting

organization roll out a digital collaboration tool

designed to make it easier for employees to ac-

cess experts across the firm. The expectation

was that certain employees on the firm’s pe-

riphery, with little access to the information

those experts could provide, would benefit.

The tool helped improve productivity over

time, and the service was particularly beneficial

for some women and new employees, Prof. Wu

says. But it also gave a leg up to those in the

company who already were well connected be-

cause it allowed them to extend their networks.

The effect was to reinforce the status quo, says

Prof. Wu. Companies should be on the lookout

for unexpected consequences once new tech-

nology is in place, Prof. Wu says.

Mr. Kassel is a writer in New York. He can be

reached at [email protected]. FROM TOP: MICHELLE GUSTAFSON/BLOOMBERG NEWS; HARRIS & EWING/LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

WhatCompanies

NeedtoKnowWhen

IntroducingNew

TechnologyIntothe

Workplace

BYJENNIFERSMITH The sensors vibrate to remind

workers to keep their backs straight

or not twist too quickly. Companies

are using the data to assess riskier

tasks in their workflows, and to sup-

plement the vibrational prompts with

feedback and on-site training to rein-

force proper techniques.

“It’s not about productivity or pick

rates or any of that,” Mr. Napi-

orkowski says. “It’s about reducing

the chance of people getting hurt.”

Retail giant Walmart is running a

pilot of the StrongArm device at

about eight distribution centers to

see if it “will help our supply-chain

associates work safer in our build-

ings,” a spokesman says. At auto

maker Toyota, meanwhile, managers

used data collected by StrongArm

sensors during a trial late last year at

an Indiana plant to assess individual

differences in movement patterns and

how the order in which tasks are per-

formed might affect safety.

Sensor makers say their devices

aren’t meant to be used to penalize

workers or to track information be-

yond the ergonomic data.

“The device doesn’t have a GPS, it

doesn’t have a camera, it doesn’t have

a microphone,” says Haytham Elha-

wary, co-founder and chief executive

ofOne Million MetricsCorp., a New

York startup that does business as Ki-

netic and whose pager-like sensors

clip on to workers’ belts to measure

their body mechanics. “We really in-

sist with managers that it’s not puni-

tive.”

Document-storage companyIron

MountainInc. began using Kinetic’s

devices three years ago to reduce at-

risk postures that contribute to

sprains and strains among warehouse

staff and drivers who collect paper

for shredding or storage. The technol-

ogy takes the motion of the wearer’s

hip and uses artificial intelligence and

algorithms to reconstruct what that

Too much exertion in

lifting or lowering is a

common cause of

injuries among

warehouse employees

and others.



A worker

preparing

orders

for ship-

ment at a

warehouse

wears

a Strong-

Arm

motion

sensor.

WatchHow

YouMove

Wearable technology can alert industrial workers

to when their movements are hurting their bodies