The National Safety Council (NSC) says musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) cost U.S. private-sector businesses nearly $18 billion a year. That is an MSD-specific estimate—not a count of every workplace injury, and not a figure that establishes exactly how much is attributable to direct versus indirect costs. The practical lesson is to look beyond an individual worker’s technique: assess the tasks and conditions that create ergonomic risk, then change the work where needed.
What the nearly $18 billion figure does—and does not—mean
In a February 24, 2025 release, the NSC described MSDs as the most common workplace injury in the United States and put their annual cost to U.S. businesses in the private sector at nearly $18 billion. The release also reported 2.6 million workplace injuries and illnesses in 2023, citing the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That 2.6 million figure covers injuries and illnesses overall; it is not an MSD count. NSC’s release
The source article frames the annual MSD expense as direct and indirect costs. The NSC release supports the nearly $18 billion estimate for U.S. private-sector businesses, but does not substantiate that specific accounting breakdown. A separate Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety report discusses a historical estimate of approximately $18 billion per year for workplace injuries and fatalities in Canada. That is a different country and a different outcome, so it does not support the U.S. MSD figure.
Why worker technique is an incomplete explanation
How a person moves can matter, but focusing only on personal technique can obscure the conditions that shape that movement. Repeated handling, forceful exertion, vibration, awkward postures, and the pace or layout of a task are examples of exposures an ergonomic assessment may need to examine. The useful question is not simply whether a worker lifted or reached “correctly”; it is what the task requires, how often it is performed, and whether its demands can be reduced through work design.
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That distinction changes the response. Coaching may help with a specific task, but it does not by itself remove a risk built into the task. Employers should use observations and injury information to identify where exposure occurs, consider changes to tools, workflow, layout, or task demands, and check whether the revised work reduces the risk.
How injury surveillance can guide prevention
Injury surveillance means systematically collecting and reviewing information about injuries and relevant exposures. It can help an organization spot patterns, identify where risks may be concentrated, and direct assessment or prevention efforts. In a March 3, 2025 NSC article, Paige DeBaylo, PhD, and Ram Maikala, PhD, describe how surveillance can support earlier risk identification and more targeted interventions. They also warn that weak data collection can produce underreporting or misclassification, leaving prevention opportunities unseen. NSC’s injury-surveillance guidance
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In practice, records are a starting point, not a complete map of risk. A reported injury may identify a task or body area to investigate, while missing, inconsistent, or incorrectly classified records can hide patterns. Pairing reliable records with task-level assessment can help employers examine both outcomes and the work conditions that may contribute to them.
What technology can—and cannot—tell an employer
NSC’s MSD Solutions Commons documents workplace examples involving wearable technology, video analysis, and video motion capture. In one example, Ocean Spray Cranberries and Feraru Dynamics measured hand-arm vibration exposure among power-tool operators using wearable technology and video analysis. PepsiCo Global Concentrates worked with LifeBooster on wearable sensor data and ergonomic learning teams as part of upper-extremity MSD mitigation strategies. Superior Tube Products and 3motionAI used video motion capture to quantify manufacturing ergonomics risk and generate data for action. NSC MSD Solutions Commons
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These are examples of assessment approaches, not proof that a particular product or approach is more effective than another. A sensor or video system can supply observations; it does not, by itself, establish what caused an injury or demonstrate that a redesign worked. NSC’s February 2025 guidance describes technology integration—including IoT devices, AI analytics, and automated systems—as part of a broader prevention resource drawing on 50 academic sources. Technology should support assessment and human judgment, not replace either.
When comparing an assessment method, ask:
- What exposure is being assessed? For example, posture, force, repetition, vibration, grip, or another task demand.
- What work and setting does it cover? A result is useful only in relation to the specific task and conditions observed.
- What information does it collect? The approach may use video, wearable sensors, injury records, or a combination.
- Who interprets the result? Data needs appropriate ergonomic and workplace context before it can inform a change.
- What happens next? The employer should be able to connect findings to a task change and check the work again afterward.
Assess the task; do not turn prevention into worker surveillance
The central distinction is what an assessment is for. Video or wearable measurements can help examine a task so an organization can identify and reduce ergonomic risk. Continuous monitoring of individual workers is a different choice, with different implications. An employer should be clear about the purpose of data collection, limit it to what is needed for the assessment, explain how it will be used, and focus decisions on improving work rather than assigning blame.
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Katherine Mendoza, NSC senior director of workplace safety programs, said in the February 24, 2025 release: “MSDs are entirely preventable, and prevention starts with understanding where and how these injuries occur.” That is Mendoza’s statement of the NSC’s prevention approach; the practical value of surveillance or assessment still depends on sound data, suitable interpretation, and changes to the work where risks are found.
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A practical sequence for employers
- Look for patterns in injury and exposure information. Review available records and reports, while checking whether collection and classification are consistent.
- Observe the work that may be creating risk. Examine the task, its setting, and relevant exposures rather than assuming an injury reflects poor technique.
- Choose assessment tools to answer a defined question. Use records, observation, video, wearables, or other methods where they fit the task and the risk being assessed.
- Interpret findings in context. Bring workplace and ergonomic expertise to the data; measurements alone do not prescribe a solution.
- Change the task or work design, then reassess. Check whether the change reduced the relevant exposure in the actual work setting.
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