Case Study
UFA Achieves 86% Reduction in Ergonomic Injuries with SoterCoach
How Canada's leading agricultural cooperative transformed workplace safety with wearable technology
About United Farmers of Alberta
United Farmers of Alberta (UFA) is a leading agricultural cooperative serving farmers, ranchers, and rural communities across Western Canada. With over 100 years of history, UFA operates retail stores, petroleum distribution centers, and agricultural service facilities throughout Alberta and beyond.
UFA's operations involve significant manual handling of heavy agricultural products, equipment operation, and repetitive tasks that put workers at risk for musculoskeletal injuries. With a workforce of over 1,500 employees, maintaining workplace safety while serving their agricultural community is a top priority.
The Challenge
UFA faced mounting challenges with workplace ergonomic injuries across their retail and distribution operations:
- High injury rates: Workers handling heavy feed bags, fertilizer, and equipment experienced frequent back, shoulder, and knee injuries
- Rising costs: Workers' compensation claims and lost time were impacting the bottom line, with annual costs exceeding $500,000
- Seasonal peaks: Injury rates spiked during busy agricultural seasons when workers performed more repetitive tasks under time pressure
- Training limitations: Traditional safety training wasn't translating into sustained behavior change on the job
- Aging workforce: Many experienced workers were approaching retirement age and more vulnerable to injury
UFA needed a proactive solution that could prevent injuries before they occurred, rather than simply reacting to incidents after the fact.
The Solution: SoterCoach Wearable Technology
UFA partnered with Soter Analytics to deploy SoterCoach wearable devices across their highest-risk operations. The implementation followed a strategic four-phase approach:
Phase 1: Pilot Program (Months 1-2)
Started with 25 workers in the busiest retail locations to test the technology and gather feedback. Workers wore the devices during their shifts, receiving real-time vibration alerts when performing high-risk movements.
Phase 2: Data Analysis & Training (Months 3-4)
Analyzed movement data to identify the most common high-risk activities. Developed targeted training programs focusing on proper lifting techniques, load positioning, and body mechanics specific to UFA's operations.
Phase 3: Full Rollout (Months 5-8)
Expanded to 150+ workers across retail stores, warehouses, and distribution centers. Established weekly coaching sessions where supervisors reviewed team data and celebrated improvements.
Phase 4: Process Optimization (Months 9-12)
Used aggregated data to redesign workflows, adjust storage layouts, and implement engineering controls. Made systemic changes to reduce ergonomic risks at the source.
The technology provided workers with immediate feedback through gentle vibrations when they performed movements that could lead to injury, allowing them to self-correct in real-time. Management gained visibility into risk patterns across locations, enabling data-driven decisions about training, equipment, and process improvements.
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The Impact: Transformational Safety Results
Within 12 months of implementing SoterCoach, UFA achieved remarkable improvements across all safety metrics:
Safety Outcomes
- • 86% reduction in ergonomic injuries
- • 78% decrease in lost-time incidents
- • 64% reduction in workers' comp claims
- • Zero serious back injuries in Year 1
Financial Impact
- • $450,000+ annual cost savings
- • 68% reduction in claim costs
- • ROI achieved in 8 months
- • Reduced insurance premiums
Behavioral Changes
- • 73% improvement in lifting technique
- • 81% reduction in high-risk bending
- • 92% employee adoption rate
- • Sustained improvements over time
Operational Benefits
- • Improved employee morale
- • Reduced absenteeism
- • Enhanced productivity
- • Better retention rates
What Employees Are Saying
"At first I was skeptical about wearing a device, but after a few days I realized it was actually helping me. I used to have back pain at the end of every shift, but now I'm much more aware of how I'm moving and I feel better. It's like having a personal coach watching out for me."
— Warehouse Associate, UFA Distribution Center
"The data from SoterCoach helped us identify that our shelving height was causing workers to reach and twist repeatedly. We adjusted the layout and saw immediate improvements. It's not just about changing worker behavior—it's about fixing the root causes."
— Safety Manager, UFA Corporate
"During our busy spring season, we used to see a spike in injuries. This year, even with the same workload, we had zero reportable injuries. The technology keeps everyone mindful of their movements even when things get hectic."
— Store Manager, UFA Retail Location
Sustained Success & Future Plans
Two years after initial implementation, UFA continues to see sustained improvements in safety outcomes. The technology has become an integral part of their safety culture, with new employees receiving SoterCoach training as part of their onboarding process.
UFA is now expanding the program to additional locations and exploring ways to use the data for predictive analytics, identifying potential injury risks before they manifest. The success has also inspired other agricultural cooperatives to adopt similar technology-driven approaches to workplace safety.
"SoterCoach has fundamentally changed how we think about safety," says UFA's Director of Operations. "We've moved from reactive incident management to proactive injury prevention, and our workers feel the difference every day."
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