ST. LOUIS—Guarantee Electrical Company will add first-of-its-kind vision-capture technology to safety trainings with a goal of protecting the electricians who make its work possible.
According to the National Safety Council, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) impact nearly a quarter of Americans and are caused by “workplace tasks that involve actions like repetitive movements, awkward or static postures and forceful exertions.” In 2023, the Council launched the Musculoskeletal Disorders Solutions Lab with a stated goal of developing and testing MSD-prevention technology via a series of trial programs.
Guarantee’s selection was a natural fit, due both to the nature of its work and its commitment to innovation. In the trial program, Guarantee was equipped with AI-powered vision-capture software designed by California-based TuMeke Ergonomics. The software was designed to detect potentially unsafe postures in workers performing six categories of common electrical work tasks: working on ladders and/or above ceilings, bending conduit, pulling wire, installing cable trays, wiring devices, and using various power tools.
The AI software applied Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), and NIOSH lifting equation guidelines to scan workers’ body positions and detect potentially unsafe postures in real time. According to Guarantee’s Vice President of Risk & Safety Todd Cook, electrical professionals are especially prone to shoulder strain and injuries, which can cause chronic and even career-ending conditions. He said the trial’s insights were not surprising, but still invaluable.
Cook said: “These kinds of posture assessments are typically done with pen and paper. Our people know the rules, but when you’re working on something in the moment, you might not even realize you’re twisting or turning in an unsafe way. Being able to actually see it happening on a body scan like this makes it a lot more tangible and a lot more impactful. The objective data that we collected was enlightening, and our Trade Partners appreciated the visuals.”
The pilot program is a natural extension of Guarantee’s well-established Culture of Safety and its track record of innovation. Following the conclusion of the trial, Guarantee plans to add TuMeke vision-capture materials to its workplace safety orientations and trainings, giving new and existing employees a clear picture of the risks of manual material handling tasks, and driving home the importance of following established safety guidelines. Its Safety Team also recently purchased several Hilti EXO-S wearable upper-body support exoskeleton systems, and it plans to begin testing them in the field in the near future.
Cook said these advancements are helping Guarantee further address manual material handling challenges and continue to set it apart within the industry for its focus on MSD risk mitigation and prevention. Guarantee’s overall safety record already stands apart; as of July 2025, Guarantee is approaching its 2025 job safety actions goal of 1 per 500 hours and has worked nearly 2 million consecutive hours with zero lost-time injury incidents or illnesses.
