Tips and Tricks for Improving Laboratory Ergonomics

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Laboratory ergonomics involves designing workstations, tools, and processes to best fit the worker and optimize performance of the work system.

Ergonomics addresses the whole human, spanning physical, cognitive, and work organization domains. This science integrates principles and data from related disciplines including engineering, anatomy, physiology, and psychology to minimize exposure to risk factors and improve worker well-being.

Primary physical ergonomics risk factors include the following.

Prolonged exposure to ergonomic risk factors in the laboratory can lead to muscle fatigue, discomfort, and work-related musculoskeletal disorders such as tendonitis, muscle strain, or carpal tunnel syndrome.

Combinations of risk factors further increase the risk of injury. Repetitive, high-force tasks, such as manual pipetting, are associated with higher rates of injury than non-repetitive, high-force tasks or tasks requiring low force and/or low repetition.1

Muscle fatigue from repetitive forceful exertions can negatively affect performance. Hand muscle fatigue leads to reduced accuracy and precision and, as muscles fatigue, force output becomes more variable, which affects task precision.2-5

Hand, elbow, and shoulder ailments are reported at higher rates for laboratory workers that regularly use manual pipettes, as compared to non-laboratory workers.6,7 This is attributed to the repetitive forceful hand and thumb exertions used to aspirate, dispense, and eject tips. Pipetting with the wrist bent or the hand away from the body increases the strain. Opening and closing tubes, holding and tilting plates or bottles, and repetitive vortex use increases overall risk exposure.

The design of the workspace and location of the tools effect the working posture in the following ways.

Given the natural variation in human anthropometry and the fixed design of most microscopes, prolonged microscope work can result in musculoskeletal discomfort or injury associated with sustained awkward postures and contact stress.8,9 Scientists may also experience eye strain if they have decreased blink-rates and take infrequent visual rest breaks.