Ergonomische Pipetten halten gesund

Ergonomic pipettes keep researchers’ hands healthy

From day one, the guiding principles behind Biohit’s innovative product development have been ergonomics and reliability, which ensure safe product usage.

Research Assistant Sari Nuutinen operates a pipette for hours on end. Her laboratory work – such as performing enzymatic lipid assays – requires absolute concentration and accuracy. She works at the genetics unit of the Department of Chronic Disease Prevention, which is part of the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL, Helsinki).

Like 96-well microplates, pipettes have been one of Sari Nuutinen’s daily tools for years.

In the past, she used mechanical pipettes.

“Operating the pipette was mechanical and monotonous, subjecting my arm to long-term strain. This led to tennis elbow,” Sari says. Because of this ailment, she had to go on sick leave.

In autumn 2007, she was provided with new tools: Biohit’s electronic eLINE pipettes. They enabled her to change her working methods. The fact that her employer was paying attention to the ergonomic demands of laboratory work also improved occupational satisfaction.

Thanks to eLINE’s design, pipetting can be performed with either hand.

“Often, when I’m working and my right hand gets too tired, I transfer the pipette to my left hand. No force is required to attach pipette tips, the tips stay on well, and it’s easy to remove them,” she says.

Nuutinen’s contributions to researching the causes, spread, prevention and treatment of chronic diseases help promote the health and wellbeing of the people in Finland.

The National Institute for Health and Welfare operates under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.