wearing this backpack could reduce strain by 40%

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As people adjusted to remote work last year, pet ownership soared. In the U.K., an estimated 3.2 million households acquired a pet in the last 16 months. Now as employees start returning to offices even on a partial basis, their employers are increasingly allowing pets to come with them. For one startup in East London, dogs have been frequenting the office a few times a week and bringing light-heartedness and joy to company culture.

SAFETY

Wearable tech shows promise for the safety of warehouse workers
Tue Jun 29

We’ve all experienced that moment of amazement over how quickly a package has arrived, but behind this delight is a darker scene of overworked and strained warehouse workers worsened by pandemic spending habits. In fact, there is an alarming rise in injury rates, especially at Amazon, prompting sharp criticism and employee petitions over inadequate breaks and the fast pace of the physically demanding work.

While Amazon has announced a $300M investment in worker safety, a more innovative solution has come to the forefront for warehouses globally: exosuits, a wearable technology that helps ease the strain of lifting heavy boxes by up to 40%. These five pound “backpacks” are laced with sensors and algorithms that detect how workers move to help them lift and load through a warehouse. Created by Verve, Inc., over 250 exosuits are currently being piloted across multiple U.S. grocer locations after being tested on both male and female workers of different body types and ages.

That said, the long-term impact of this technology is being debated. While the goal is to reduce worker fatigue and soft tissue injuries, some safety experts claim it’s not an adequate substitute for other injury prevention methods, such as regular ergonomic training (proper use of equipment, tools, and machine controls) or limiting the time workers spend on strenuous activities. Advocates of the technology are touting the financial benefits as well. OSHA estimates that it costs employers nearly $1B per week for worker injuries whereas an exosuit can cost only $1,200 each.

Some additional resources...

→ Full coverage: Wall Street Journal
→ Exosuit’s origins: Verve Motion
→ Exosuit-like technology in logistics: DC Velocity
→ Poor warehouse working conditions: The Guardian
→ Amazon’s investment in worker safety: CNBC

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AGRICULTURE

1,800 dead bulls prompts calls for live export ban
Tue Jul 6

Whether a ship is carrying wool sweaters or live sheep, animals are treated just like any other cargo. Such inhumane treatment persisted on what was supposed to be an 11-day journey from Spain to Turkey but got extended to three months due to pandemic delays. As a result, 10% of the 1,800 bulls on board died and were either thrown overboard or left to fester among the already feces-filled pens of the living ones. Those who survived ended up being too sick to sell and had to be put down — an odd turn of events as they were headed for a halal slaughterhouse where they’re killed through a process intended to reduce suffering.

Sadly, this recent tragedy is just one of many where thousands of livestock are lost at sea. Last year, nearly 6,000 cattle and over 40 crew members died off the coast of Japan when their ship lost an engine and sank. Such an occurrence is common given the ships themselves are over 50 years old with broken parts that can’t be replaced. And even when the ship behaves, the animals suffer from extensive animal abuse such as feces-filled pens, extreme heat, and no medical attention — sometimes crew members are instructed to kill babies as they’re born.

Now a number of countries are considering stricter regulation, both for the safety of the animals and to prevent diseases that sick ones could transfer to humans. Some are looking to Australia as an example, who...

Requires veterinarians on board any voyage longer than 10 days, which the E.U. is also now considering.
Has observers on board to ensure the animals have adequate water, feed, and ventilation — though COVID concerns have kept them off ships for some time.
Uses a traceable supply chain that tracks livestock from the moment they get on the ship until killed at the slaughterhouses. They also require exporters to report back if animals die at a higher rate than 0.5% (or at least three animals).

Still, the ongoing tragic losses and increasing evidence that legislation cannot guarantee animal welfare is leading to calls for a total ban on the $18B live export trade, though it’s easier said than done. The pitched alternative is to process the meats locally and only export chilled or frozen meat (about 39 million tons of meat was exported this way in 2019 globally). In Australia, this would require an intensive effort to set up the infrastructure needed to process the meat at the speed needed to meet growing demand. And even if that can happen, many countries would rather receive live animals due to affordability, religious procedures, and issues with refrigeration and keeping meat fresh. Still, New Zealand plans to phase out the transport of live animals for slaughter by 2023 while the U.K. is in legislation for a ban as well within a larger animal welfare bill.

Some additional resources...

→ Extensive coverage: Bloomberg
→ Australia without live animal exports: ABC
→ New Zealand’s phase out: NZ Herald
→ U.K.’s planned ban: Reuters
→ Investigation that led to Australia's live export ban: The Guardian

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CLASSIFIEDS

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ASCII OF THE WEEK

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Another productive day at the paw-ffice!

Art Credit: Joan Stark

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