Selective chooses TuMeke's workplace ergonomic assessment tool

Business and personal insurance carrier Selective Insurance has partnered with TuMeke Ergonomics to provide risk assessment tools for its workers compensation policyholders, without the need for invasive wearable technology.

Peter Vidor

"Wearables will play an important role in the long term improvement of safety performance, but they are facing certain headwinds that everyone recognizes right now," said Scott Smith, vice president and director of safety management at Selective Insurance. "There are concerns about sharing of personal data."

Selective policyholders may use TuMeke's solution through a smartphone to record employees working on certain tasks. TuMeke's AI-based software reviews these recordings in comparison with 3D human body models to identify ways workers may be positioned or moving that can strain their musculoskeletal systems.

"There were ways to observe people working, record data using paper and pencil, run through calculations and make assessments about what kind of forces people were working under doing different tasks," Smith said. "But the failure mode was greater because of the human element in that process."

In a pilot of the program that Selective conducted, the ability to assess workers movements without wearables was well received, according to Smith. "They didn't have to wear anything and they didn't feel like it was invasive," he said. "It can be done remotely. They can take the video and send it to us. We don't even always have to go into their facility."

TuMeke is listening to feedback from Selective on its experience using the AI-based ergonomic assessment tool. "They take that into their consideration for future design," Smith said. "We give input but we were not involved with the development."

Selective has studied its workers compensation claims and reported that in 2021, workplace-related injuries were turning up 18% earlier in employees' tentures than they were in 2011. The most common sectors for strain-related injuries were construction, manufacturing and wholesale. 

Smith believes detecting issues causing musculoskeletal issues to prevent injury can help retain workers. "You continue to hear employers citing difficulty with attracting highly skilled labor," he said. "Ergonomics is safety and wellness, not just safety. The wellness part can make people happier at work and not miss days and and feel better when they get home so they're not thinking about their neck ache, their back pain or their sore shoulder. If you can design a job in the right way, you give the worker a better experience and that can help you avoid turnover, people selecting early retirement and people looking to change jobs."