Kinetic Raises $4.5M to Reduce Workplace Injuries

Kinetic announced a $4.5m seed funding round.

The company builds a wearable device called REFLEX that aims to reduce workplace injuries for industrial workers. REFLEX attaches to a worker’s belt and can measure activities that put them at risk of injury, such as unsafe postures, jumping off vehicles or slips and falls.

Kinetic’s wearable technology reduces unsafe postures in the workplace by up to 84%. To reduce lifting injuries, the device detects unsafe postures and alerts the worker with a real-time vibration. By gamifying the process, workers compete with their colleagues to stay under a certain goal of unsafe motions per day. Managers can then view insights and analytics on the company’s dashboard. The cost of serious workplace injuries is on the rise, and in 2015 they cost US companies $58 billion. Lifting related injuries were the leading cause, mostly driven by the growth of e-commerce and the last mile delivery of goods, industries which are poised to grow aggressively.

Kinetic lists Iron Mountain and Crane Worldwide Logistics as customers.