While "Snap, Crackle, Pop" is perhaps an apt greeting from a crispy breakfast cereal, it isn't the sound you welcome from your neck, wrist or spine in the course of the workday. But for many workers, these stresses and strains are a painful part of the job. The number of employees with work-related musculoskeletal disorders ranges from 8 to 13 out of every 100 workers, according to OSHA estimates.
At our New Holland plant in New Holland, Pa., these statistics translate into an average of about $600,000 in workers' compensation costs each year. That's not including the indirect costs associated with training, lower productivity and rework of replacements for the regular workers.