Affiliations: Battelle Center for Human Performance and Safety,
Seattle, WA, USA | Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Division of
Environmental Health and Safety, Berkeley, CA, USA | Ergonomics Program, University of California,
Berkeley, CA, USA | Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine,
University of California, San Francisco, Richmond, CA, USA
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Monica G. Lichty, Battelle Center
for Human Performance and Safety, 1100 Dexter Ave N Ste 400, Seattle, WA 98109,
USA. Tel.: +1 206 528 3292; Fax: +1 206 528 3555; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: 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.
