MSD prevention tailored to the construction industry thanks to KIMEA at Bremat
The Bremat Network, a construction company committed to fighting MSDs
Founded by François Beuzit, the Réseau Bremat is historically based in Sainte-Sève, Finistère
The Bremat Network, present in the north, east, west, and center of France, is a consortium of partner companies that offer services to businesses in the construction, industrial, agricultural, and public sectors.
The company aims to build its MSD prevention approach as efficiently as possible using KIMEA.
Discover MSD prevention within the Bremat Network through this testimony from Gwénaël Huon, QSE Technician for all the companies in the Network.
Bremat in figures
Creation date
employees
(across all Bremat network partner entities)
Entities
The DUERP (The Single Occupational Risk Assessment Document), an initial step in prevention within Bremat
At Bremat, worker health is paramount, especially in preventing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).
This is why Bremat took an important first step by drafting its Single Document for the Evaluation of Professional Risks (DUERP).
The DUERP is an essential document for all companies, regardless of size. It aims to comprehensively assess professional risks and allows for the implementation of actions to protect employee health and safety.
When Gwénaël Huon arrived at Bremat, he discovered that there were no other physical risk assessments for MSDs aside from the DUERP. He realized the importance of implementing additional measures to protect workers’ health.
At Bremat, we needed a simple and intuitive solution, even for operations carried out on job sites that are not always accessible, when we met Moovency and KIMEA at SAFEXPO, we quickly realized that KIMEA was the ideal solution to help us quantify the physical risks of MSDs.
Gwénaël HUON
QSE Technician at Bremat
Capturing operator movements with ease
In the construction sector, the way information is captured is crucial due to the highly variable work environment. Employees are subject to frequent movement and complex physical activities such as lifting heavy loads, transporting materials, and handling machines and tools.
These repetitive motions can lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) such as back pain, tendinitis, and wrist pain. It is therefore imperative to have an accurate method to measure the risks associated with these movements and evaluate them in real time to protect employee health and safety.
This is why KIMEA Cloud is perfectly suited for the public works sector. Workers no longer need to wear cumbersome sensors, thanks to the KIMEA Cloud solution, which allows them to be tracked and captured using a mobile application. This provides great flexibility for workers, who can move without restrictions—a significant advantage in this industry !
Capturing operator movements has never been easier. Recordings can be made either by riding directly on the machines with the operators or by filming the workers from the outside.
I especially appreciated the training session the one-day training session with Margot, an ergonomist at Moovency, was particularly valuable. This exchange allowed me to get to grips with the tool and gain valuable advice. I was able to start with a solid foundation using KIMEA and become autonomous, enabling me to work efficiently with the tool.
Gwénaël HUON
QSE Technician at Bremat
Quickly prioritizing preventive actions
With KIMEA, Bremat’s teams have effectively and rapidly carried out a project to map the physical and biomechanical risks of MSDs for the entities involved in planing, network burial, and electrical connections. Thanks to the simplicity of the solution, they were able to capture all the workstations in their company in record time. The collected data enabled reliable analyses, allowing for precise mapping of MSD physical risks.
KIMEA also saved valuable time by automating some tedious tasks and producing clear and concise reports to facilitate communication with stakeholders.
The results validated that postural constraints are not the primary risk factor. Thanks to the ease of use of KIMEA, the company can easily conduct regular analyses to ensure that these physical risk factors do not evolve.
Quantifying risks with reliable data
At Bremat, KIMEA has been excellently utilized. Captures were made on most construction machines. The data obtained allowed them to compare the different employee positions across the entire site and identify if certain tasks are more demanding than others, enabling them to find appropriate solutions.
Building industry in figures
Benefits observed since using KIMEA
Facilitating funding from CARSAT
Employees at one of the Bremat network entities reported difficulties in performing a task, including muscular and joint pains. An ergonomic diagnosis was conducted by the QSE technician of the Bremat network, who relied on KIMEA for this study. Subsequently, funding was obtained from CARSAT for the purchase of equipment to reduce physical constraints for the entity’s employees at Bremat.
It’s worth noting that Moovency is referenced by several CARSATs for its ability to intervene in small and medium-sized enterprises on MSD prevention under the TMS Pro program, demonstrating credibility and integration within the occupational health ecosystem.
Fostering social dialogue on prevention with employees
The Bremat network aims to fully involve its workers in its MSD prevention efforts. The goal is to establish genuine dialogue with employees to provide solutions as needed and adopt best practices.
Gwénaël Huon will be able to gather feedback and conduct working groups with employees. By showing captured footage of operators filmed using KIMEA, overlaying skeletons on their bodies, operators can see the constraints associated with each movement and better understand their impacts.
Therefore, KIMEA serves as a valuable intermediary tool for discussion. Following the results demonstrated with the tool, workers were able to discover their actual working conditions and subsequently discuss solutions and share best practices.
Conclusion