by Caitlin Smith
Your back is killing you, your legs are stiff, and your wrists are telling you that you need a different job, not to mention the eyestrain from peering through those eyepieces all day. But before letting your body talk you into initiating a job search out of desperation, consider learning more about ergonomics in the lab. Many people who work in labs unwittingly face ergonomic challenges every day. There are many ways to soothe your aching body—without changing professions.
Pipetting
Repetitive stress injuries develop slowly over time, as you engage in frequent repetitive tasks that cause swelling and inflammation of muscles, joints, and tendons, sometimes restricting blood flow and pinching nerves. With its repetitive and frequent motions, pipetting is a prime cause for repetitive stress injuries. To help alleviate such problems, Cindy Burt, the ergonomics program manager at the University of California, Los Angeles, says that her program advocates the use of pipettes that are designed to have lower forces for stressed fingers to push. “Plunger and tip ejection forces are important to consider,” says Burt. “Pipettes that are easy to hold and that reduce awkward postures can help users work in more neutral postures.” Furthermore, to complete tasks more quickly, she notes that “electronic pipettes and multi-channel pipettes can reduce repetition and increase productivity.”
Other low-tech solutions to repetitive pipetting woes include keeping the arms close to the body, using a tips waste basket that is no taller than the tubes being filled, and using shorter pipettes to decrease hand elevation and subsequent fatigue from maintaining awkward postures. A multitude of companies offer high-tech relief in the form of automatic and multi-channel pipettors. In addition, VistaLab Technologies offers a new type of pipettor designed to be ergonomically friendly—their Ovation BioNatural Pipettes are held and operated in an entirely different way than are conventional axial models.
Microscopy
Another ergonomic enemy is microscopy, especially for lab workers who sit for many hours a day, peering down eyepieces, adjusting their bodies—perhaps without even realizing it—to accommodate the size and shape of the scope. “Microscopes with adjustable components that allow flexible positioning of the eye tube allow the microscope to be adjusted rather than the user working with awkward back and neck postures,” says Burt. Elegant examples of this are offered by Bay Optical Instruments. The ErgoAdaptor allows you to set the microscope height so that your posture is ergonomically neutral, and the Extended Eyetube Binocular, a set of longer eyepieces, promotes good posture while increasing magnification. In addition, Optical Wedges allow you to adjust the viewing angle of the optical tube. The microscope manufacturer Leica Microsystems also offers products that accomplish similar goals with the ErgoModule, ErgoTube, and ErgoWedge. Many major microscope manufacturers, such as Zeiss, Olympus, and Leica, incorporate some of these ergonomic concerns into the design of their scopes.
Another—albeit more expensive—solution to eye, back, and neck strain is the use of a camera with the microscope to project images onto a monitor. Such a system can eliminate or greatly reduce the use of eyepieces. Other microscopy help includes positioning an adjustable chair or stool to minimize leaning over or hunching, as well as moving the microscope as close as is feasible to the working edge of the table. In addition, it is a good idea to have sufficient elbow and forearm rests. Ergonomically oriented accessories such as pads and armrests are offered by Ergo Source and R&D Ergonomics, among others.
Height-adjustable work areas
Work areas where lab personnel spend a lot of time are particularly prone to offend, especially when legs don’t “fit” into the space underneath counters, for example. Burt stresses the importance of “furniture that is height-adjustable and designed so that users can sit or stand at openings and get close to their work. This should include both the cabinets and chairs.” AliMed and Ergo Source both offer adjustable tables for workspaces. Along the same lines, it helps to use “biosafety cabinets and fume hoods that are height-adjustable with highly adjustable sashes,” says Burt. Ergonomic examples include the Baker Company’s SterilGARD® III Advance™ biological safety cabinet, NuAire’s Labgard 440 Biological Safety Cabinet, and Esco’s Frontier Acela fume hood.
Another consideration for lab stations at which people stand for long periods of time, or even shorter but frequent periods, is the work floor. Injuries such as plantar fasciitis—an overuse injury in which a large tendon in the foot becomes painfully inflamed—can be caused or exacerbated by standing on the hard floors common in labs. Simple but effective help can be found with matting, to provide more cushioning in front of high-traffic benches. Anti-fatigue matting is offered by Ergonomic Specialties, Alimed, Ergo Source, and Wearwell, to name a few.
Take a break
Many research institutions now have ergonomics programs, such as Burt’s at UCLA, to educate and assist lab personnel in addressing ergonomic challenges in the lab, sometimes within or even alongside their institution’s occupational therapy programs. “Here and at many other research and production laboratories, employers are providing workers with training on ergonomics and improving the design of facilities and equipment,” says Burt. “Ergonomists, engineers, designers, and architects are all playing roles in this process.” Simply increasing people’s awareness of the pitfalls that labs can harbor, and the preventative or problem-solving approaches possible, go a long way toward increasing productivity and comfort in the lab.
Burt sees increasing awareness as a significant development in ergonomics in the lab. “Workers are becoming more aware of how physical laboratory work is, and are becoming more proactive in using preventative measures,” she says. “This includes a greater awareness of products as well as use of proper work habits and techniques. [For example, the] use of task rotation, and incorporation of stretching breaks, can actually increase accuracy and productivity while avoiding injury.”
Burt finds that one of the most common failings of labs is a lack of flexibility to accommodate constant changes in technology—in many cases, through no fault of their own. “Many of our labs do not have sufficient work surface space, storage place, or appropriate places to use computers,” she says. “Lab technology is changing at an incredible speed today, and it is difficult for researchers to keep up with or afford all the advances. Cost as well as reproducibility of results are both important factors to consider when trying to introduce new products and technologies into labs. The complexity of lab work and technology is constantly increasing. It takes a long time to become an expert. Experienced lab workers cannot easily be replaced.” All the more reason to take care of yourself.