How to Improve the Ergonomics of Your Workstations

Ergonomics plays a key role for the workers in your lab. It allows them to be more efficient, which means that your lab design, including lab furniture, must be conscious of how your workers do their jobs.

What is Ergonomics?

The goal of ergonomics is to promote productivity and efficiency so that the design of the lab, including equipment, work layouts, and even work environments, match the particular jobs of the employees. It also means that differences in tasks and body sizes should be accommodated, so job hassle, soreness, and potential injury are avoided. Consider the average office worker. They sit in their chair for about 8 hours a day, at least, and often with poor posture. These awkward postures may stress joints and reduce blood flow, which, in the long run, can put a damper on the worker’s ability to do their job productively. Other problems that can cause ergonomic injuries are high forces like pushing and pulling carts and lifting boxes. Long durations of awkward postures and forces can further the potential for joint damage. There are also physical stressors that can impact an employees ability to get their job done efficiently, including:

• Machine vibration
• Low temperatures
• Impact stress
• Gloves that reduce blood flow

Improving the Ergonomics of Workstations 

Posture

Poor posture can cause back and neck pain in a lab. Poor posture can lead to strain injuries and musculoskeletal problems. Over time, this can impact an employee’s efficiency. By practicing good posture, employees can prevent injury and put the least strain on their bodies while sitting or standing at their workstations. When it comes to lab casework, it’s important to make sure the measurements are correct to ensure the right posture for your employees.

Adjustable Chairs

For those employees who sit most of their day, having a chair with lumbar and neck support is crucial. A chair with these features can reduce the risk of lower back injury and neck strain. An ergonomic chair will allow workers to adjust the lumbar support and maintain the natural curve of their spines. 

Adjustable Workstations

When it comes to posture, lab workstations are one of the places in the lab where awkward positions are necessary. For example, microscopes, fume hoods, and pipettes may all be used at a lab bench. Looking into a microscope means bending into an awkward position, which puts a strain on the back and neck. Fume hoods require you to reach up on your toes to work the controls, and you must crouch to see the table at eye level in order to titrate with pipettes. And it isn’t just handling chemicals – administrative tasks are frequently at workstations too. Technicians must also accomplish paperwork, inventory materials, and enter data into computers here as well. Quick tasks can be done standing up, but if you need to spend an hour or more on the job, it’s advisable that you sit down. When it comes to improving the ergonomics of your workstation, an adjustable laboratory workbench is essential. Adjustable lab furniture allow lab technicians to increase or decrease the height of their workstation depending on their needs. This allows for less awkward positioning and increased comfort and efficiency. Read More: How to Create a Comfortable Workplace with Quality Laboratory Tables and Furniture

Monitor Placement

Working with a computer is necessary for most laboratory settings. However, working on a computer for hours at a time can create back and neck strain. Our bodies must often contort to use the dedicated space for the computer, and our necks may have to stretch to see the monitor better. With LCD arms, workers can adjust their monitors according to their comfort preferences. LCD arms hold monitors either on the work surface or on a rail, which means computers can be moved out of the way when not in use. By adjusting the height and distance of the monitor, you can reduce eye, shoulder, arm, and neck fatigue. Monitors should be positioned about an arm’s length away, and the height should be adjusted according to your height. Your eyes should look slightly downward when looking at the middle of the screen. 

Keyboard and Mouse Placement

Both the keyboard and the mouse should be placed depending on the natural position of the employee. They should also be at the same height as the elbows and forearms to help prevent strain and wrist nerve compression. Workers may need to adjust the height of the chair or the desk to put them in a more relaxed and comfortable position. However, the less strain on their body, the more efficiently they can work. 

Encouraging Breaks

The human body was not designed to sit or stand in the same position for a long period of time. Taking short breaks can help reduce straight and improve overall productivity. When deeply absorbed in work, employees can lose track of time, so it’s up to you to implement initiatives to remind them to change posture periodically. You can post signs, set alarms, or assign someone to remind the team to give their body a break at regular intervals. Rest Your Eyes: When working on a computer, look away every 15 minutes for 60 seconds to give them a rest from the screen. You can also try closing your eyes and massaging your eyeballs with the heel of your hand to relax the eye muscles. Rest Your Hands: Take a break from typing to rest your hands every so often. Do some arm stretches and shake your wrists out to loosen tense muscles. Rest Your Body: Every hour, make sure to take a break from working at your station. Stand up, stretch, and walk around to get the blood flowing. This will also help wake you up if you’re feeling fatigued. 

Space

Workstations should always be spacious. Not only do lab technicians have multiple pieces of equipment and paperwork out at one time, but they also need to be able to move around without getting strain. With an adequate amount of space, workers can more easily spread their work out in their workstations and maintain correct posture. Being able to arrange their work in a way that’s efficient for them will also help keep them alert and productive. Space should also extend into the room itself. If the lab is small, it may be worth it to buy custom lab furniture that allows for the ergonomic designs and dimensions. Free movement within a workspace is crucial to ensuring both comfort and productivity.

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Proper Ways to Store Laboratory Glassware

Laboratory glassware requires mindful care. Once it’s been cleaned and inspected, it should be stored to prevent it from becoming dirty, getting in the way, getting broken, or getting lost. Your lab tables should always come equipped with storage solutions that allow you to easily store glassware so that it can be found when needed.

In this article, we’ll discuss the proper ways to store laboratory glassware.

Store in an Enclosure

Lab cabinets are ideal storage solutions for glassware because they keep the glassware out of the way of regular daily activities while still being close enough to workstations. Glass items are consistently in use in laboratories; when you need them, it’s important to be able to grab them without wasting time walking and searching.

Opt for closed shelving to keep dust away from the glassware so that it’s clean for every use.

Label Cupboards 

There should be a sign stating the type and size of the glassware stored inside the cupboard. This will save time when searching for items that you need. It’s crucial that this guideline is followed because without it, you’ll wind up throwing cupboard door after cupboard door open looking for your equipment. This wastes valuable time.

Note down warnings for use and storage along with names. Some glassware may not be able to be stored with others because of what chemicals you use them for. While you’ll ideally have cleaned off any remnants of your work before storing, residue may still linger. Using contaminated glassware may cause disastrous results for your work down the line.

Logical Storing

All glassware should be stored in a way that makes sense. Glassware can be grouped with others of its type, size, or according to the purpose. For example, if you have certain types of glassware that deals primarily with one type of chemical, it’s best to keep them together. This will ensure that they are easily found when needed by workers.

Also, when it comes to a decision about where to store glassware, it’s important to make good choices. For instance, if your glassware keeps breaking because they are stored in high, hard-to-reach cupboards, consider storing them in low cabinets instead.

Further, when it comes to space in your cabinets, make sure there’s enough for a person to grab a single item of glassware without disturbing the other items stored inside. Having a cabinet overfilled will be just as problematic as leaving glassware out.

Arrange by Location

If your workers frequently use the same glassware, it only makes sense that that glassware is accessible from their workstations. Lab benches incorporated with storage solutions are perfect for when glassware needs to be nearby. On the other hand, items that are not used as frequently can be stored further away from workstations, which will help make day-to-day life in the space much easier.

Read More: How To Increase Storage and Efficiency With Your Lab Tables

Maintaining Room Temperature

When you’re storing unused glassware, the temperature may play a critical factor. Maintaining a steady room temperature means that no variance will occur, which could cause the glass to break. For example, when you boil water in a glass and then put it on a cold countertop, it could shatter because of the heat variance. Similarly, glassware stored in a cold room may break when that temperature goes up.

Avoiding Risk

Glassware should never be stored near the edge of benches, other lab furniture, or places where it can be knocked over. It makes no sense to keep unused glassware out in the open where it can be knocked over and broken. Avoid storing them in too-high shelves as well, as they will be difficult to reach, making storage more prone to accidents.

Store According to Type

Specific glassware may require certain guidelines to ensure their safety in storage.

Volumetric Flasks

Volumetric flasks need to be stored with their stoppers to ensure that stoppers are not lost. While you can purchase just the stoppers, it will save your lab money if you would simply be mindful of your glassware from the beginning.

Round-Bottom Flasks

Round-bottom flasks should be stored with cork rings to keep them upright. Avoid storing these in high shelves, as one mistake can cause your flask to roll out of the cabinet and break.

Burettes and Pipettes

Burettes and pipettes should be stored vertically in specially-designed racks, or horizontally in drawers. They should not be stored in cramped spaces as these items are very thin and are susceptible to breaking.

Other

Glassware that you use rarely should be stored separately and labeled so that workers know where everything goes and nothing gets lost.

Before Storing

Another thing to keep in mind when it comes to the storage of glassware is making sure that it’s clean and free of contaminants and dust. Never forget to sanitize all of the equipment properly before storage. This will save time cleaning and drying equipment during your next use.

Read More: Easy Guide to Keep Your Laboratory Clean

More importantly, some chemicals left out can change and react to other substances, so it’s simply not safe to put dirty glassware away. Others may even stain or stick to the inside of your glassware when not cleaned immediately, rendering the items useless.

When it comes to storing your glassware, make sure that you use only the best to avoid breakage and the loss of valuable data. 

How do you store your lab glassware? Let us know in the comments!

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source https://www.labtechsupplyco.com/proper-ways-to-store-laboratory-glassware/