As a laboratory worker, long hours looking through a microscope or pipetting at a worktable can take its toll on your back, neck and shoulders. It’s important that you stay focused on your work, and with ergonomic wrist and forearm support, you can stay focused for longer.

Working in a lab setting exposes you to lower temperatures from cold rooms, vibrations from vortexing, and consistently leaning or pressing against hard lab benches. These environmental factors can agitate your bones and joints. If you experience pain, numbness, or tingling in your hands, fingers, or shoulders, it’s possible these symptoms may be related to your job. Risk factors for laboratory workers in particular include repetitive motions, awkward or static postures, contact stress, restricted blood flow, and inadequate recovery time. These work-related habits can cause discomfort in your hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, neck and back. If ignored, those discomforts can actually become a health risk over time, resulting in painful musculoskeletal disorders. Having an ergoCentric Sit Stand chair is a great start to maintaining good posture during extended seated work hours, but there are several aspects of your workspace that can be adjusted to better fit your body and your health. 

Here are some quick fixes you can change today to improve your work station:

- Use a chair that provides good back support.

- Elevate, tilt or move your microscope to be at a 30°

- Maintain an upright head position and avoid leaning forward.

- Sit close to your worktable.

- Feet should always be on the ground and if not, try a Workrite Footrester!

- Keep elbows close to your sides.

- Work with your wrists in straight, neutral positions.

- Pad forearms or edges of your work surface.

Create a fit between you and your work environment. Wedge-Ease ergonomic forearm supports are a low-cost solution for lab technicians that regularly experience discomfort from microscope use or seated work tasks. Wedge-Ease naturally adjusts your posture by providing elevated support to the forearms and wrists, realigning your back and neck to a more natural position. Similarly, Comfort Keyboard articulating forearm supports reduce muscular tension in the shoulders and provide postural support to the back when working at a computer.  We know you love what you do, so why not be comfortable doing it? We’re here to help boost the joint and bone health of lab workers that need tools for getting their job done safely.