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Selecting the right pipette should be a thoughtful process

Lab Safety Advisor, April 22, 2008

Pipette selection is seldom a well-thought-out decision. Often it is based on the lowest price. However, pipette selection is becoming more critical due to the high cost of work-related injuries. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) identified repetitive pipetting as the most common contributory factor for repetitive strain injuries of the hand or wrist in the laboratory.
 
So what factors should be evaluated in pipette comparison? According to an article by Joan Erickson and Anthony Smith in the June 2007 issue of Occupational Health and Safety magazine, the following should be measured:
  • Weight of the pipette
  • Length of the pipette: Shorter pipettes are best for shoulder comfort
  • Balance: An improved center mass avoids excessive twisting of the wrist
  • Fit: Grip size influences the muscle force required and potential for injury
  • Tip ejection force: Increased force is correlated with an increased risk of repetitive strain injuries
  • Volume adjustment: This is associated have a high level of muscle activity
 
I have received several queries about plastic pipette tips and whether they must be considered a sharp when they are disposed of and, as a result, placed in a sharps container. There has been discussion as to whether this is an OSHA or DOT regulation. When OSHA was contacted through the Denver office, it indicated that there was no OSHA regulation regarding plastic pipette tips being declared a sharp and having to be placed in a sharps container. 
 
However, in the CFR 173.134 reads, in part, “Sharps means any object contaminated with a pathogen or that may become contaminated with a pathogen through handling or during transportation and also capable of cutting or penetrating skin or packaging material. Sharps include needles, syringes, scalpels, broken glass, culture slides (glass), culture dishes (glass), broken capillary tubes, broken rigid plastic, and exposed ends of dental wires.”   According to the definition, only broken glass or plastic is considered a sharp. The potential to break is not specifically addressed.
 

The issue then becomes, will the plastic tips puncture the red bag and cause the healthcare worker potential exposure? Each facility should address this issue in its safety committee and come up with a policy and procedure for dealing with this type of waste.

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