National Safety Council Builds on Groundbreaking Effort to Transform Workplace Safety for Years to Come with New Employer Pledge

Expanded, global initiative aims to solve the most common workplace injury, musculoskeletal disorders, and enhance the wellbeing for millions of workers

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- After launching the inaugural MSD Pledge in June 2022 with the goal of creating safer workplaces and reducing musculoskeletal disorders, or MSDs, by 25% by 2025, the National Safety Council is pleased to introduce the next evolution of its industry-first call-to-action to transform workplace safety, the MSD Pledge 2.0. With nearly 200 organizations, representing more than 2.7 million employees, having joined this initial effort, the MSD Pledge 2.0 marks an important next step in the journey to solve workplace MSDs beyond 2025 by expanding access to cutting-edge safety technology, resources and best practices. 

Debuting during National Ergonomics Month, the MSD Pledge 2.0 is a tentpole initiative of the MSD Solutions Lab, a groundbreaking NSC program established in 2021 with funding from Amazon to solve MSDs. According to the World Health Organization, MSDs are the most common workplace injury and the second leading cause in shortening employees' working years, outranked only by mental illness and substance misuse. These injuries are also costly, resulting in nearly $17 billion in lost-wage and medical expenses for private U.S. businesses each year. The MSD Pledge 2.0 calls on organizations of all sizes to commit to the core pledge community goals of reducing MSD risk for millions of workers by:

• Analyzing the causes of MSD injuries and investing in solutions and practices that reduce risks to workers.
• Leveraging innovations and sharing learnings that improve safety practices.
• Building a culture of safety where everyone, at every level, is accountable for the safety and health of workers.
• Pledging and committing to a percentage-based goal to reduce MSD risks over the next five years after signing, based on organizational goals, resources and priorities.

"Every employee deserves to work in an environment where their safety is valued, and by increasing access to the MSD Pledge community through this new initiative, employers can transform workplace safety, reduce MSD risk and enhance the physical and psychological wellbeing of all workers," said Lorraine Martin, president and CEO of NSC. "At NSC, our role is to help guide every employer toward a safer workplace, no matter if they are a multi-national corporation or a small, family-owned organization, and the MSD Pledge 2.0 underscores this commitment to sharing the best safety practices worldwide to reduce MSD hazards, so no one gets hurt on the job."

In addition to accessing free resources to help reduce MSD risk, MSD Pledge 2.0 members will join MSD Pledge charter members in participating in the MSD Solutions Index, an annual benchmarking survey designed to reflect against their three main pledge commitments of risk reduction, innovation and collaboration, and safety culture. Designed to provide personalized feedback on what organizations are doing well and the areas of opportunity to strengthen their MSD prevention efforts, a significant benefit of the MSD Solutions Index is its ability to help NSC identify broader trends affecting MSD risk and prevention, so all workplaces may benefit. A full report will be published later this year with results from charter members for the inaugural MSD Solutions Index.

"At Amazon, we're always looking for new ways to improve safety for our employees," said Sarah Rhoads, vice president of Global Workplace Health and Safety at Amazon. "A challenge as complex as workplace MSDs requires innovation and collaboration, which is why we've been proud to found the MSD Solutions Lab with NSC and work on this issue together. We look forward to welcoming all future pledgees and applaud their commitment to employees' safety."

In addition to the debut of the MSD Pledge 2.0, NSC also introduced the MSD Pledge Badge for all charter and new members to distinguish these organizations as best-in-class employers committed to worker safety and health.

The MSD Pledge 2.0 is one of several initiatives underway by the National Safety Council to achieve its goal of preventing MSDs before they start. To learn more about the MSD Pledge 2.0 or the MSD Solutions Lab, visit www.nsc.org/msd, or sign up to attend the world's largest annual gathering of safety professionals at the 2023 NSC Safety Congress & Expo in New Orleans, October 20-26. To register, visit congress.nsc.org/. 

About the National Safety Council
The National Safety Council is America's leading nonprofit safety advocate – and has been for nearly 110 years. As a mission-based organization, we work to eliminate the leading causes of preventable death and injury, focusing our efforts on the workplace, roadway and impairment. We create a culture of safety to not only keep people safer at work, but also beyond the workplace so they can live their fullest lives.

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SOURCE National Safety Council