RESEARCH & RESOURCES
Practical insight for better designed work.
Canadian workplace injury context, what prevention guidance asks employers to do and how Vergo was tested against laboratory measurement.
What creates musculoskeletal risk
CCOHS describes workplace factors that contribute to work related musculoskeletal disorders. These may affect muscles, tendons and nerves in the hands, wrists, elbows, neck, shoulders, back and lower limbs.
Repetitive work
The same motion performed many times through a shift, particularly at speed or without variation.
Force
Lifting, pushing, pulling, gripping or holding loads that demand sustained muscular effort.
Awkward or fixed postures
Bending, twisting, reaching overhead, or holding one position for long periods.
Inadequate recovery time
Too little pause or task variation between demanding efforts for tissues to recover.
Vibration
Hand arm or whole body vibration from tools, equipment or vehicles.
Hot or cold conditions
Temperature extremes that affect grip, circulation and how much force a task requires.
Prevention focus
Prioritize eliminating hazards at their source. Where that is not practicable, redesign jobs, workstations, tools and work practices so the demand on the person is reduced rather than simply managed. Changes to work height, reach distance, layout, sequence and material flow are usually more durable than changes that rely on technique alone.
FROM GUIDANCE TO ACTION
What employers can do, and how Vergo supports it
Requirements differ across Canada, but prevention guidance consistently emphasizes identifying physical demands, involving workers, improving work design and evaluating whether controls are working. Vergo gives teams a repeatable way to record a task, organize findings, document decisions and reassess afterwards.
Identify physical demands
Look for lifting, force, repetition, reaching, awkward positions, sustained postures and insufficient recovery time.
Involve workers
Ask workers and supervisors where tasks are difficult, tiring or uncomfortable and what changes may be practical.
Assess and prioritize
Determine which tasks and movements warrant attention rather than waiting for an injury to identify the problem.
Control risk at its source
Improve work height, layout, tools, equipment, task sequence and material flow wherever practicable.
Document action
Maintain a clear record of the task, findings, decisions and changes that were implemented.
Reassess the work
Review the task after changes are made to determine what improved and whether further action is needed.
Occupational health and safety requirements vary by jurisdiction. Employers should consult the legislation and guidance applicable to their workplace.
Where to read more
Canadian national data and definitions
National workers compensation figures use administrative categories. They do not provide one perfectly comparable national count of all musculoskeletal injuries, so the definitions and limits should stay visible whenever the numbers are used.
AWCBC reported 274,025 lost time claims in its 2023 Canadian Workers’ Compensation System, Year at a Glance. Separately, its National Work Injury and Disease Statistics Program classified 99,051 accepted lost time claims under bodily reaction and exertion. This event category is relevant to many musculoskeletal injury mechanisms, but it is not a direct count of all musculoskeletal injuries.
| Figure | Measure | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| 274,025 | Lost time claims | AWCBC, Canadian Workers' Compensation System, 2023 Year at a Glance. |
| 99,051 | Accepted lost time claims classified as bodily reaction and exertion | AWCBC, National Work Injury and Disease Statistics Program, 2023. |
Research and validation
Vergo’s movement outputs from standard smartphone video were compared with professional optical motion capture measurement in a controlled laboratory study using scripted handling tasks.
Smartphone video
Standard video of a handling task.
Laboratory comparison
Compared with professional optical motion capture.
Movement tracking findings
Torso movement tracked particularly closely.
Dalhousie University
Movement analysis validation work completed with Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Kinesiology.
National Research Council of Canada
Technology development supported by the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program.
Support does not constitute product validation or endorsement by the National Research Council of Canada.
Study scope and limitations
- Purpose of the controlled study. To examine how closely Vergo's movement outputs from standard video matched movement measured with professional equipment.
- Laboratory setting. The study was run in a controlled laboratory with Dalhousie University's Faculty of Kinesiology, using scripted handling tasks rather than live production work.
- Optical motion capture comparison. Vergo's outputs were compared against measurements collected by professional optical motion capture equipment during the same movements.
- High level confirmed findings. The comparison showed particularly close tracking of torso movement, supporting the use of standard smartphone video for workplace movement information.
- Study limitations. Laboratory conditions differ from a working site in lighting, camera angle, clothing, obstruction and task variation. The work is a validation study, not a clinical trial, and no accuracy figure is published here.
- Status and date. Controlled laboratory validation study completed with Dalhousie University. It is not described as peer reviewed or independently published.
A public summary will be linked here when one is available.
Using movement analysis responsibly
Workplace recordings involve people. These practices help keep the process useful and respectful, whether the review is done once or across an entire program.
- Obtain authorization before recording.
- Limit recording to the task being assessed.
- Avoid collecting unnecessary personal information.
- Store and share recordings securely.
- Involve workers in understanding the task.
- Use qualified judgement where the task presents significant or complex risk.
- Use an assessment output to support workplace task review, alongside professional judgement.
READY TO SEE VERGO IN ACTION?
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