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myEppendorf
Ergonomics: Why Pipetting Ergonomics is a Key Issue
Lab Academy
Whether on board the International Space Station, on a research vessel, in a high-security laboratory, or at other non-automated laboratory workplaces, one thing applies to them all: manual pipetting is one of the most central and, at the same time, most error-prone tasks in the lab.
While pipettes can be calibrated, devices can be adjusted, and measurement protocols can be perfected, the human factor remains comparatively unpredictable. "The main risk of error in pipetting is the operator," explains Peter Schmidt, Business Manager for Pipettes at Eppendorf. "When you take up the liquid, you should immerse vertically and only to a certain depth, so that the liquid is not pressed in more than intended. Then wait long enough for the liquid inside to reach a steady state – this is especially crucial for large volumes - and only then dispense it, at the end sliding along the wall.“
According to Schmidt, the fact that such operations have to be carried out in the same way, with high precision, over and over again, makes fatigue a major problem: "When you're tired, it's difficult to immerse precisely the same way and do it evenly over time. And that makes pipetting ergonomics a factor in the quality of the result. A tired hand cannot work as well as a rested hand. The more ergonomic the pipette is, the longer good results can be achieved."
In order to find extreme operating conditions in this regard, one does not even have to look into space or into the Arctic region, Schmidt emphasizes: "If someone is pipetting for eight hours a day, this means extreme operating conditions from an ergonomic point of view." Since the beginning of this millennium, the pipetting ergonomics have therefore been a major consideration for Eppendorf, which has since developed improvements far beyond just the physical aspects of weight and operating force, including other issues like cognitive and workflow ergonomics.
According to Schmidt, the fact that such operations have to be carried out in the same way, with high precision, over and over again, makes fatigue a major problem: "When you're tired, it's difficult to immerse precisely the same way and do it evenly over time. And that makes pipetting ergonomics a factor in the quality of the result. A tired hand cannot work as well as a rested hand. The more ergonomic the pipette is, the longer good results can be achieved."
In order to find extreme operating conditions in this regard, one does not even have to look into space or into the Arctic region, Schmidt emphasizes: "If someone is pipetting for eight hours a day, this means extreme operating conditions from an ergonomic point of view." Since the beginning of this millennium, the pipetting ergonomics have therefore been a major consideration for Eppendorf, which has since developed improvements far beyond just the physical aspects of weight and operating force, including other issues like cognitive and workflow ergonomics.