Can pipetting for a couple of hours at a time cause me discomfort?
Pipetting is one of the most common tasks performed in the research laboratory. It involves several ergonomic stressors – thumb force, repetitive motions, and awkward postures, especially of the wrists, arms, and shoulders. There are engineering and administrative controls that can be implemented which may eliminate or lessen risk factors which in turn can reduce the discomfort associated with pipetting. Engineering Controls: • Use pipettes with newer trigger mechanisms requiring less force to activate, and use the pointer finger to aspirate, and the thumb to dispense • Use pipettes that fit comfortably in your hand. • For tasks such as mixing or aliquotting, use an electronic pipetter with mixing functions. • Use a multichannel pipettor for large aliquotting tasks. • Use shorter pipettes. This decreases hand elevation and consequent awkward postures. Administrative Controls: • Take micro-breaks of 3-5 minutes for every 20-30 minutes of pipetting. Mild hand exercises and stretches are
