The experimental plan is drawn up. The new reagent you ordered is in solution and ready to go. You seeded your cells into dishes the day before, and they are growing as expected. All of your calculations are in order. Everything is in place and looks great. You set up and run your experiment without any issues or hiccups and collect your samples 48 hours later. You complete your downstream analyses, pull up the data on your screen, and your heart sinks. Your baseline values are well above average, obscuring…
Ovation M – a micropipette like no other!
Focus on the science instead of the pain Let’s face it, pipetting takes stamina and precision. If your body is uncomfortable or worse yet, in pain, both are compromised and your accuracy will suffer, not to mention your health. To be ergonomically correct, real differences in traditional pipetting postures are crucial – like minimizing awkward wrist positions, keeping a low arm and elbow height, and relaxing the shoulders and upper arms. This is virtually impossible when using pipettes with elongated, completely vertical axial designs. Simply decreasing button pressure or changing…
Repetitive Strain Injury in the Laboratory – Pipetting doesn’t have to be painful
Article by Angelo dePalma originally published on Biocompare Ergonomic pipettes help scientists avoid RSIs. Repetitive stress injury (RSI) is a common occurrence in laboratories, and is closely related to the ergonomics of operating instrumentation and equipment, and conducting simple but repetitive laboratory processes. Types and extents of injury vary, for example neck or back pain from sitting or bending a certain way for long periods. The key to avoiding RSI is to assume natural, strainfree posture while conducting experiments, for example using anti-fatigue floor mats and sitting supported by your…
Identifying pipette design factors to reduce ergonomic risk
In 2001, a project to identify the underlying factors contributing to the development of ergonomic injuries to pipetters and to reduce the factors attributed to the design of the pipette was undertaken by VistaLab Technologies. The project involved: On-site investigation of pipetting operations at hospitals, clinics, and R&D facilities A review of published studies of pipetters An examination of injury statistics among pipetters An examination of the design of pipettes and the pipetting workstations DOWNLOAD KEY FINDINGS An evaluation of the ergonomic pipette design at the time revealed that each of…
How to pipette properly: Posture is key
Proper posture is the most important element in establishing good ergonomic work practices. During repetitive tasks such as pipetting, maintaining body positions that provide a maximum of strength with the least amount of muscular stress is important to minimize the risk of injury. A number of common pipetting techniques have been identified as potentially hazardous due to biomechanical stress factors. Graphic representations and the recommendations for corrective actions, made by various US governmental agencies and ergonomics experts, are presented below. Technique: Elevated, “winged elbow”. The average human arm weighs approximately…
CODE: 234567 (sample)