Time for Proactive Prevention

The recently published Kerncijfers Beroepsziekten 2025 report by the Nederlands Centrum voor Beroepsziekten (NCvB) paints a clear picture: work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are increasing and with them, the impact on worker health and business continuity.

In 2024 alone, 741 cases of MSDs were reported, a 25% increase compared to the year before. These conditions now account for over a quarter of all reported occupational illnesses, with the majority leading to long periods of absence and, in some cases, permanent work disability.

Key Findings from the 2025 Report:

• 56% of MSD cases led to long-term absence (>3 months)

• 10% resulted in permanent disability

• Most frequent diagnoses:

  • Shoulder syndromes

  • Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)

  • Carpal tunnel syndrome

• High-risk sectors: Industry and Sonstruction, Healthcare, with incidence rates up to 4x higher than average

• Most affected workers are aged 40+, reflecting long-term exposure to physical strain

The leading causes?

• Lifting and carrying heavy loads

• Repetitive motions, particularly with the arms and hands

• Forceful exertion, pushing, pulling, and working in awkward postures

  
  

Ergonomic risk is preventable

Despite clear risk profiles and decades of ergonomic research, many companies still lack adequate controls to reduce strain. The report notes that only a small share of organizations actively evaluate or intervene on risks related to posture, force, and repetitive work leaving workers exposed and businesses vulnerable.

This gap is not just a safety issue it’s a missed opportunity to protect productivity and retain experienced workers.

Supporting Movement, reducing risk

At Skelex, we develop wearable support systems that reduce physical strain in high-risk tasks from overhead assembly to logistics handling and repetitive manual operations.

Our product portfolio includes:

• Upper arms & shoulders: Reduces strain during repetitive or overhead tasks by supporting the arms and offloading the shoulder complex.

• Neck & upper spine: Provides targeted support to alleviate sustained neck extension and reduce fatigue during prolonged upward-facing work.

• Hands & fingers: Enhances grip strength and reduces muscle effort in force-intensive manual tasks, lowering the risk of hand fatigue and overuse injuries.

• Lower back: Supports natural posture and reduces lumbar strain during lifting, bending, or static forward-leaning positions.

Each product is engineered to preserve freedom of movement while decreasing load on targeted joints and muscles helping workers stay safe, comfortable, and capable across their shifts.

Let’s Close the Gap Between Policy and Practice

The 2025 occupational disease data confirms the urgency but also the opportunity. Prevention is possible. The right tools are available. And companies that invest in proactive ergonomics today are safeguarding the health and resilience of their workforce for the long term.

Want to understand where physical risk lives in your team?

We offer task scans and product trials to help identify, assess, and reduce high-strain activity before it leads to injury.