5 benefits of wearable technology for Job Task Analysis (JTAs)

The experts at Recovery Partners use wearable technology for Job Task Analysis (JTAs). This ensures we capture more accurate data to help staff perform tasks safely.

An overview of wearable technology

The most effective injury prevention strategies are found in elite sport. This is because decades of research and development have gone into keeping professional athletes safe and performing at their peak. Wearable technology from the sports arena is now cost-effective enough to be used in the workplace. And clients of Recovery Partners now have access to this workplace safety innovation through a partnership with Preventure, an Australian start-up!

Recovery Partners are using Preventure’s wearable sensors and data dashboard to level-up their Job Task Analyses (JTAs). A back sensor and an arm sensor are placed on a worker, and they are filmed (via a smartphone or tablet) completing a task. The movement data coupled with video footage enables you to gain a much greater understanding of the musculoskeletal injury risks related to that task. This includes back, shoulder, and also lower limb (slip/trip/fall) risks, for example climbing out of a forklift.

The Recovery Partner’s team also combine the insights from the Preventure dashboard, with their own observations to ensure that the data is clear and actionable.

Five benefits

1. Objective Movement Data

As much as we all try to avoid it, human bias can creep into any subjective assessment. Wearable sensors provide us with objective data and clear ‘risk scores’ that enable us to determine the load on the body during set tasks. It can also allow us to assess workers of various heights and experience, to see if more efficient ways of completing a task already exist on the frontline.

2. Task Benchmarks and Training

By using movement data and video for JTAs, we can find the ‘best’ and safest way of doing a task, and then save that as a benchmark for training. New employees, or injured employees can later be assessed against the benchmark, to ensure they don’t have movement habits that are putting them at risk. The video and data can also be played back to them, to show them why certain movements lead to higher load on the body than others.

3. Remote Assessments

If you have a hard to access site, sensors can be posted to a supervisor who can use the Preventure app to record some workers completing set tasks. The Recovery Partners team can then review this data remotely, provide additional guidance and use the insights for larger programs of work, without having to be physically present at every location.

4. Movement Control

The Preventure platform measures ‘range’ of motion (how far the worker bends their back, or reaches with their arm), and has the international standards ISO11228 built in to help determine what is a ‘hazardous’ manual handling task. But it also measures ‘control’ of motion, which has come from decades of sports science and is an indicator of inefficient movement, fatigue and injury risk.

5. Data-Driven Prevention Programs

Using wearable sensors for JTAs enables you to run proactive data-driven injury prevention programs. You can use the insights for pre-employment, new employee training, regular manual handling training, re-designing of standard operating procedures or site layouts, injury investigation and even return-to-work.

The last few years have really accelerated the Safety Industry’s move toward remote technology solutions and telehealth. The Preventure team is proud to be a technology partner of Recovery Partners and to be able to offer their clients access to affordable Sports Science technology solutions. For more information; https://preventure.live/

Special thank you to Preventure for guest writing this blog for Recovery Partners. If you would like to guest write a blog, please contact us.