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Two workers wearing the Apex 2 at a mezzanine rail, one seen from behind

Defence and sustainment

Army, Air Force and Navy personnel operate across some of the most physically demanding environments in any workforce: forward operating bases, flight lines, naval vessels, logistics depots and maintenance facilities. The loads are heavy, the environments are unforgiving, and the operational tempo rarely allows for rest.

The common roles at risk
  • Logistics and supply personnel
  • Vehicle mechanic
  • Maintenance technician
  • Artillery personnel
  • Combat engineer
  • Infantry and combat soldier
  • Engineering technician
  • Aircraft technician
  • Stores and materiel handler
  • Deployable logistics crew
  • Ammunition technician
  • Field medic / combat medic
A Royal Australian Air Force aircraft technician in hi-vis pulling the wheel chocks from under an F-35A on the flight line
Photo: U.S. Air Force, Senior Airman Megan Estrada. Public domain. The appearance of U.S. Department of War (DoW) visual information does not imply or constitute DoW endorsement.
Results and industry feedback
  • The Royal Australian Air Force deployed hundreds of Apex 2s to support operations Apex2 case study
  • A RAAF leader was recognised for advancing injury prevention by scaling support equipment across Combat Support Group Apex2 case study
  • US Army field trials reported improved task performance and high user acceptance Apex2 case study
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The hazard

Where the load
actually comes from.

Defence personnel regularly lift, carry, load and unload weapons, ammunition, communications gear, tools, cargo, stores and fuel containers, often while wearing body armour and full PPE that adds significant weight and restricts movement.

The risk builds through repetitive lifting, prolonged load carriage and forceful exertions in confined spaces: vehicles, aircraft, ships and field environments where safe handling positions simply aren't available. Army personnel handle equipment across uneven terrain and remote locations. Air Force personnel manage aircraft loading and maintenance in high-tempo flight line environments. Navy personnel move loads on unstable surfaces within the confined spaces of a vessel underway.

Add adverse weather, operational fatigue and time pressure that leaves little room for recovery between tasks, and the cumulative load on the lower back is significant, across every deployment, every exercise, every shift.

Reducing the risk,
and meeting the duty.

In Australia and other regulated jurisdictions, employers have a legal duty to identify, assess and control the risks of musculoskeletal disorders, including back injuries, arising from hazardous manual tasks. The focus of WHS legislation is prevention through risk elimination (if possible) and engineering solutions rather than reliance on lifting technique training alone.

Safe Work Australia
Reducing back injury risk and meeting WHS requirements in defence and sustainment operations:
  1. Identify hazardous manual tasks
  2. Assess risk factors in those tasks SA2050 can assist organisations assess and quantify risk for each manual task
  3. Minimise risks using the hierarchy of control Apex2 is a mechanical aid designed to reduce risk when lifting and bending
  4. Provide information, instruction and training SA2050 provides comprehensive training and assessment of the Apex2 in the workplace
  5. Review control measures

Readiness, not compensation.

The claim-cost arithmetic that drives a civilian business case does not apply here. The number that matters is how many people are fit to deploy on the day you need them.

What one back injury costs
  1. One trained person off the deployable list, for as long as it takes.
  2. A sustainment task list redistributed across a smaller crew, at the same operational tempo.
  3. A capability gap that no budget line closes quickly.
  4. A person who trained for years to do the job, no longer able to do it.
An air force member in hi-vis over camouflage wearing the Apex 2 in a hangar

Hi-vis over camouflage, in a working hangar.

Worn under the load carriage, on a sustainment task, on a base. Not a trade stand and not a studio.

  • Royal Australian Air Force
  • Apex2 case study
In service

Two national defence forces have put the Apex 2 into service. Not a pilot on one site, but sustained deployment across units.

Procurement has already asked this.

  1. Royal Australian Air Force Hundreds of Apex 2s deployed to support operations. Not a trial. A standing deployment across an air force, which means it cleared their safety, procurement and sustainment review before a single unit shipped. Apex2 case study
  2. Combat Support Group A leader was recognised for advancing injury prevention by scaling support equipment. An organisation does not decorate someone for a program that did not work. This is the internal verdict, not the vendor’s. Apex2 case study
  3. United States Army Field trials reported improved task performance and high user acceptance. User acceptance is the one that matters. Equipment that soldiers will not wear does not improve anything, whatever the biomechanics say. Apex2 case study
The other operations
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