A questionnaire survey of the ergonomie problems associated with pipettes and their usage with specific reference to work-related upper limb disorders
✍ Scribed by G. David; P. Buckle
- Book ID
- 104104898
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 1997
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 900 KB
- Volume
- 28
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0003-6870
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
This study has considered the ergonomic problems associated with the use of pipettes through a questionnaire study of users. The study groups comprised an exposed (i.e. pipette users) and a non-exposed (i.e. non-users) cohort. Eighty questionnaire responses were returned by pipette users and 85 by non-users from six orga~sations; a response rate of approximately 55% for each of the study colhorts. The reported occurrence of elbow and hand complaints [using the general version of the Nordic musculoskeltal questionnaire (Kuorinka et al, 1987)] was significantly higher in the pipette user population as compared to the control population. There is au increase in the percentage of those reporting hand complaints as the duration of the working period involving continuous use of pipettes increases. Almost 90% of subjects in the longest exposure group (eontinu~us use for more than 6Omin) reported hand complaints. Users identified a number of features whilch made plunger operated pipettes more difficult to use: almost all of the female population whal reported difficulties identified plunger operation as a design deficiency. Users also identified features of the general working environment which made the pipetting tasks more difficult. The study concludes that a number of work-related factors may affect the efficiency and comfort of staff performing laboratory tasks using pipettes.