- Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), the National Safety Council (NSC), and several other employers have unveiled an MSD Pledge to reduce the most common workplace injury. These are the details.
While kicking off National Safety Month and one year after announcing a historic partnership with Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), the National Safety Council (NSC) unveiled the first-of-its-kind MSD Pledge to reduce the most common workplace injury, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). And during the inaugural Workplace Safety Summit: Business Action to Prevent Musculoskeletal Injuries, over 15 of the nation’s leading organizations joined this effort and signed the pledge to improve workplace safety, reduce MSD risk, and enhance all workers’ well-being.
MSDs — which include tendinitis, back strains and sprains, and carpal tunnel syndrome – impact nearly a quarter of the world’s population and are the leading cause of worker disability, early retirement, and limitations to gainful employment. And the MSD Pledge seeks to create safer outcomes for millions of workers worldwide by reducing these injuries by 25% by 2025. By making crucial changes, employers will also build more equitable workplaces for frontline workers and communities of color, which are two groups disproportionately impacted by MSDs.
Along with Amazon and NSC, the founding pledge members include Alcon Research, LLC; Ansell Inteliforz; Amentum; American Industrial Hygiene Association; AMP; Benchmark ESG; Cummins Inc.; Human Balance and Stability Systems, LLC; John Deere; MEGA InTech; Meteorite; Tenneco; United Airlines; and VelocityEHS.
Along with accessing free resources and sharing safety innovations to help reduce MSD risks, MSD Pledge members will participate in the MSD Solutions Index, an annual company index that analyzes the benefits of the pledge over time. And the index will aggregate data on risk reduction strategies, workplace safety culture, and innovation and collaboration, while also identifying areas for targeted action and uncovering trends to inform future approaches.
The organizations signing the MSD Pledge promise to:
— Reduce risks by analyzing the causes of MSD injuries across operations and investing in solutions and practices that reduce the risks to workers.
— Innovate by utilizing best practices and sharing learnings and countermeasures to expand upon innovations to improve safety practices.
— Build a culture that values safety by promoting a workplace where safety excellence, transparency, and accurate reporting are equally valued, and where everyone, at every level of the organization, is accountable for the safety and health of workers.
— Commit to a significant reduction of MSD injuries by creating better and safer outcomes for millions of workers worldwide and reducing MSD risk and subsequent injuries by 25% by 2025.
The MSD Pledge members benefit from free events, training, and coaching opportunities from the Council’s team of ergonomics experts and opportunities to share best practices and lessons learned with one another. And participation in the MSD Pledge is free and open to any employer that is committed to identifying and reducing risks of MSD injuries and creating a culture of safety at work.
The MSD Pledge was developed at the MSD Solutions Lab, an initiative established as part of the NSC and Amazon partnership to solve this omnipresent safety challenge. And led by NSC, the pledge is one of several initiatives launching in 2022 to achieve the program goal of preventing MSDs before they start.
KEY QUOTES:
“While there are no sirens associated with MSDs, their impact is alarming and the damage does not stop when workers leave for the day. At NSC, our mission is not only to save lives, but also to prevent injuries and we are asking employers everywhere to join the MSD Pledge and keep workers safe, so they can spend more time doing the things they love with the people they love – which is precisely what this month, National Safety Month, represents.”
— Lorraine Martin, NSC president and CEO
“We’re always investing in new ways to keep our employees safe, and we look forward to working with NSC and the companies that sign this pledge to keep getting better every day. MSDs are a challenge across many different industries, and this pledge will bring together forward-thinking leaders and allow us to share successes and innovate on behalf of all our employees.”
— Heather MacDougall, Amazon vice president for workplace health and safety
“All employees, no matter what company you work for, deserve a safe workplace. Every day I work hard, safe and smart with the expectation to get back home so I can live my fullest life. I’m proud to work for United and appreciate the high safety standards that are in place to reduce injuries.”
— Donald Flores, United Airlines ramp service employee
“At United Airlines, safety is at the foundation of everything we do – especially when it comes to our employees. We are committed to providing a safe and supportive work environment, as well as ensuring they have the best information, resources and training. Joining the MSD Pledge furthers our safety commitment as we work together with other organizations to take on the challenge of reducing MSDs.”
— Sasha Johnson, United Airlines vice president of corporate safety
