As part of its continued focus on associate safety, Walmart seeks out innovative technology to make the job easier and more efficient. Several years ago, the company began pursuing a more data-centric approach to associate safety. They landed on StrongArm Technologies and their FUSE Risk Management Platform. Their safety wearables were easy to integrate into Walmart’s existing routine across multiple job functions. The data provided was intuitive and actionable, according to Walmart.

“From the beginning, we were transparent with associates about the goal behind deploying FUSE, a small sensor worn between their shoulder blades they’d soon forget was even there. We wanted them to understand what the device is measuring (and what it’s not), why we're deploying it and how it works. Once they understood that it's a tool for their benefit, the adoption happened quickly,” Walmart said. “Within the first year of deploying FUSE, targeted, ergonomic-related injuries decreased by nearly 65% across participating associates.”

Associates wearing the FUSE sensors have a safety score as a benchmark. The higher they score from 0-100 every shift, the safer they’d been. Just as importantly, the data provides management with information to heap praise on those associates who are safety leaders day in and day out. Going forward, Walmart will continue to invest in the best, most leading-edge technology available.