Ergonomic Evaluation of Ten Single-Channel Pipettes

Details

• Personal Author:
  Janowitz IL ; Lichty MG ; Rempel DM
• Description:
  Repetitive pipetting is a task that is associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the hand and arm. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usability and ergonomic performance of commercially available pipettes as determined by user ratings and objective measurements. Participants: Participants were laboratory technicians and scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory with experience performing pipetting tasks. Methods: Twenty-one experienced pipette users completed a standardized pipetting task with 5 manual and 5 electronic pipettes. After using each pipette, the user rated it for attributes of comfort and usability. Results: Although no single pipette was rated significantly better than all of the others for every attribute tested, some significant differences were found between pipettes. The Rainin Pipet-Lite received the highest overall quality score among manual pipettes, while the Thermo Scientific Finnpipette Novus was the top-ranked electronic pipette. Features correlated with greater hand and arm comfort were lower tip ejection force, lower blowout force, and pipette balance in the hand. Conclusions: The findings, when considered with participant comments, provide insights into desirable pipette features and emphasize the value of user testing and the importance of the interactions between task, workplace layout, and pipette design. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Ergonomics Laboratories Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Laboratory Biotechnology Equipment Design Equipment Testing Laboratory Equipment MSD Musculoskeletal Disorders Repetitive Work Task Performance Tool Design Upper Extremities Usability Testing

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• ISSN:
  1051-9815
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  177-185
• Volume:
  39
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20053713
• Citation:
  Work 2011 Jun; 39(2):177-185
• Contact Point Address:
  Monica G. Lichty, Battelle Center for Human Performance and Safety, 1100 Dexter Ave N Ste 400, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
• Email:
  lichtym@battelle.org
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• Performing Organization:
  University of California, Berkeley
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Work
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d08a38f0982001485c943b1160745cc37760d09f37aa0574e3cec5a911bf6dab66cfdb432e153c4199869905ca89c9accdf685c086f12a1ba1d9b912fed0f830
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/216425/cdc_216425_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 210.68 KB ]