New study finds exosuits reduce injuries, fatigue in warehousing

HeroWear, an occupational exosuit company, has shared new long-term injury data collected across multiple companies that points to a significant positive impact of its exosuits on worker back injury incidence.

After deploying HeroWear Apex 2 exosuits at multiple distribution centers in the United States, worker injury data from over 280,000 hours of work were collected and analyzed, HeroWear explained. The dataset is equivalent to 140 full-time employees working for one year while regularly wearing exosuits, encompassing an estimated 50-60 million lifts by workers.

The study found that zero back injuries were reported among workers wearing exosuits, HeroWear noted. Additionally, exosuit users reported a 25% decrease in work-related bodily discomfort and a 20% reduction in work-related fatigue on average. Before rolling out exosuits, HeroWear added, these DCs would expect an estimated 10.5 back injuries throughout this period based on historical injury rates.

“These are exciting results for companies looking to reduce injury risk for their workers. Our clients are committed to both protecting their people and saving healthcare costs,” says HeroWear Chief Executive Officer, Mark Harris. “We are encouraged to see our users are not just safer at work, but their quality of life is improving. Users report they are less sore at work and less tired at the end of the day, with many describing that they are using this additional energy to spend more time doing things they love.”

According to HeroWear, its exosuits typically take 20-40% of the load off the user’s back muscles as they perform repetitive bending and lifting motions. The company also noted the postive feedback from study participants. Specifically, URM—a food distributor in the Northwest—and two other companies implemented the Apex 2 exosuit in four select U.S. distribution centers and used it regularly for months, and were unified in their evaluation of the exosuit’s impact on their workforce:

“We take pride in protecting our hard-working warehouse pickers. The data proves how HeroWear’s product is truly changing the game,” says URM’s Director of EH&S Phil Heide. “We look for innovative ways to improve the quality of our team members’ lives, and HeroWear is helping us do that.”

The two other companies who took part in the study also noted benefits, including less fatigue and discomfort.

“People have been asking for longitudinal data on exosuits for years, so we were excited to gather and share this injury data reported by clients,” says Dr. Karl Zelik, HeroWear co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer. “These and other clients seeing success are expanding and rolling out exosuits with more workers and at additional sites. We are very data-centric and plan to keep collecting data for millions of hours. We will keep learning, sharing, and focusing on how exosuits impact injury rates over time, across different sites, and industries. So far, results have been outstanding, and we’re thrilled this technology can help people do their jobs safely and without sacrificing their bodies.”

Read more about this study’s results and data here.