Ergonomic evaluation of ten single-channel pipettes.

ABSTRACT

UNLABELLED 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.