Lab workโwhether in biosafety cabinets (BSCs), fume hoods or on the benchโcan demand long hours of intense precision work. This concentration often masks the physical strain that can lead to chronic musculoskeletal injuries (MSDs) in your most valuable assets.
Lab work doesn’t have to be painful.
The solution starts with meticulous ergonomic planning:
๐๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ป & ๐๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฝ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐: Implementing height-adjustable BSCs and ergonomic lab chairs allows you to tailor the core workspace to the user, not just generic standards.
๐ง๐ผ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด & ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต๐ป๐ถ๐พ๐๐ฒ: Selecting the right tools (e.g., automated pipettes, light-force tools) and ensuring proper reach zones significantly mitigates risk.
๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐น๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐: Lab managers must strategically schedule workloads. Too many consecutive hours of high-repetition tasks, like pipetting, puts technicians squarely in the danger zone for upper extremity overuse injuries.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ: You must customize. While equipment is designed to accommodate the full range of body sizes (from 5th percentile females to 95th percentile males), the final setupโchair height, BSC height, and primary reach zonesโmust be tailored to the individual associate. It’s no different than setting up an office workstation.
๐๐ง๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ฉ, ๐ง๐๐๐ช๐๐ ๐ง๐๐จ๐ , ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐ข๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐๐๐จ๐๐ค๐ฃ.
Reach out to us at 732-796-7370 or quin@njergonomics.com so we can discuss how to protect your lab staff.
NJ Ergonomics Blog 