Making Work Less Back-Breaking

It resembles a model of a spinal column and is worn like a backpack.

It’s called the Lumbar Motion Monitor system, and it’s being used to monitor any undue bending and twisting on the job.

A worker wears the monitoring device for as little as five minutes, after which a computerized printout analyzes the data.

Coca-Cola Co. and General Motors Corp. are among the companies using the $28,000 system to design ergonomically correct workplaces.