Associated Risk Factors:

Risk factors associated with pipetting include:

• Repetitive motion of the hands, forearm and thumb, or fingers.
• Pinch grip when handling pipette tips, or opening vials.
• Bending and twisting of the wrist.
• Working with "winged" elbows (elbow held at an elevated position away from the body).
• Neck bent forward or to the side and/or jutted chin.
• Awkward and static postures.
• Excessive force of the thumb.
• Overreaching.
• Standing for long periods of time.

Preventive Measures:

Work Smart, eliminate/reduce the impact of laboratory ergonomic stressors.

• Perform your work only at appropriate heights.
• Alter continuous repetitive pipetting by performing other tasks, or take frequent small rest breaks every 20 minutes.
• Make sure to work with wrists in neutral positions (straight),
• Adjust height and position of sample holders, solution container, waste receptacle to prevent twisting and bending of wrist, neck and rolled shoulders.
• Reduce shoulder strain, avoid working with winged elbows/arms.
• Use short pipettes, shorter waste receptacles for used tips, to reduce reaching.
• Use electronic pipettes for highly repetitive pipetting tasks to reduce/eliminate contact pressure on thumb
• Ensure proper lower back and thigh support, use adjustable stools or chairs with built-in foot and armrest.
• Avoid standing for long periods. If standing is unavoidable, use Anti-Fatigue Mats.
• Work at appropriate heights to minimize twisting of the neck and torso.
• Replace manually operated pipettes with electronic ones for larger workloads
• Make sure head and shoulders are kept in neutral position.
• Avoid elevating arms and elbows above shoulder for lengthy periods to prevent static work of arm, and shoulder strain.
• Task sharing is another way to reduce the impact of risk factor associated with piptting.