VistaLab Technologies

Register Your Pipette Login
0
  • Products
    • ali-Q
    • Ovation
    • MLA
    • Wobble Not
    • Reservoirs
    • Tips
    • Customized Products
  • Calibration & Repair
  • Support
    • Support Materials
    • Accessories
    • Maintenance Parts
    • Compliance Certificate
    • Calibration Certificate Lookup
  • Ergonomics
  • Promos & Specials
  • About
    • Company Profile
    • History
    • Quality Management
    • News
    • Blog
    • Catalog
  • Contact

How to pipette properly: Posture is key

August 1, 2021 by VistaLab

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.


wingedelbowTechnique: Elevated, “winged elbow”. The average human arm weighs approximately 6% of the total body weight. Holding a pipette with the elbow extended (winged elbow) in a static position places the weight of the arm onto the neck and shoulder muscles and reduces blood flow, thereby causing stress and fatigue. Muscle strength is also substantially reduced as arm flexion is increased.

Corrective action: Position elbows as close to the body as possible, with arms and wrists extended in straight, neutral positions (handshake posture). Keep work items within easy reach to limit extension and elevation of arm. Arm/hand elevation should not exceed 12” from the worksurface.


OverRotated_1Technique: Over-rotated forearm and wrist. Rotation of the forearm in a supinated position (palm up) and/or wrist flexion increases the fluid pressure in the carpal tunnel. This increased pressure can result in compression of soft tissues like nerves, tendons and blood vessels, causing numbness in the thumb and fingers.

Corrective action: Forearm rotation angle near 45° pronation (palm down) should be maintained to minimize carpal tunnel pressure during repetitive activity.


clenchedfistTechnique: Tight grip (clenched fist). Hand fatigue results from continuous contact between a hard object and sensitive tissues. This occurs when a firm grip is needed to hold a pipette, such as when jamming on a tip, and results in diminished hand strength.

Corrective action: Use pipettes with hooks or other attributes that allow a relaxed grip and/or alleviate need to constantly grip the pipette. This will reduce tension in the arm, wrist and hand.


thumbplungerTechnique: Concentrated area of force (contact stress between a hard object and sensitive tissues). Some devices have plungers and buttons with limited surface areas, requiring a great deal of force to be expended by the thumb or other finger in a concentrated area.

Corrective action: Use pipettes with large contoured or rounded plungers and buttons. This will disperse the pressure used to operate the pipette across the entire surface of the thumb or finger, reducing contact pressure to acceptable levels.


armstrengthIncorrect posture can have a strong impact on available strength.

Technique: Elevated arm. Muscle strength is substantially reduced when arm flexion is increased.
Corrective action: Keep work items within easy reach to limit extension and elevation of arm. Arm/hand elevation should also not exceed 12” from the work-surface.


elbowchartTechnique: Elbow flexion or abduction. Arm strength diminishes as elbow posture is deviated from a 90° position.

Corrective action: Keep forearm and hand elevation within 12” of the work-surface, which will allow the elbow to remain near a 90° position.


The Ovation Solution

The Ovation Pipette was specifically designed to address each of these posture-related concerns.
ArmPosture

  • The user’s arm elevation remains low, minimizing stress to the elbow, shoulder and neck.
  • The user’s elbow remains close to the body in a neutral posture to maximize available arm strength.

 

WristPosture

  • The user’s wrist remains in a pronated position and neutral range of motion throughout all pipetting operations, eliminating repetitive twisting of the forearm and reducing pressure on the carpal tunnel.
  • Ovation’s adjustable hook allows a custom fit and reduced holding effort for right and left-handed users.

 

HandPosture

  • The pipette’s contoured shape provides maximum stability and minimal contact pressure for the hand. A loose, relaxed grip increases available strength in the hand, improving endurance and productivity during pipetting.
  • Ovation features such as a rounded plunger button and a tip ejection button have reduced forces that minimize contact stress.

 

 

Find more articles about Ovation Pipettes 

 

 

Email Share Tweet LinkedIn

Trackbacks

  1. RSI and YOU: Is your science career at risk from pipetting? says:
    July 6, 2021 at 11:00 am

    […] How to pipette properly: Posture is key […]

Categories

  • ali-Q
  • Ergonomics
  • MLA
  • News & Events
  • Ovation
  • Product News
  • Reagent Reservoirs
  • Tech Notes & Training
  • Wobble-not

Join Our Mailing List

  • Keep updated on our latest product innovations, specials and promotions.

  • Sign me up to stay connected with VistaLab emails. View Privacy Policy.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Get the most out of your budget.

Save now


Vistapoint Program

When you purchase genuine VistaLab Tips for your MLA and Ovation pipettes, you are making a commitment to quality performance.

Earn Free Calibration & Repair Services

Get Your Tips
Previous
Back to Main
Next
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Service
  • Register Your Pipette
  • Support
  • Catalog
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Ovation Video
  • Privacy Policy
  • My Account


Made in the USA
Find a Distributor

Distributor Resources
2 Geneva Road
Brewster, NY 10509
+1-888-652-6520
P. +1-914-244-6226
F. +1-845-279-4620

Copyright © 2023, vistalab technologies, inc. all rights reserved.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT

×