Monitoring Monday – Health and safety concerns for microscope use.
Join us Mondays as the Clean Water Team shares information and resources on water quality monitoring. This Monday we will look at health and safety concerns for microscope use.
Long-term microscope viewing sessions can create problems for people who use the instruments. To view specimens, microscope operators often assume an awkward posture. Their head is bent over the eye tubes, the upper part of the body bent forward, the hand reaching high up for a focusing control, and the wrists are bent in unnatural positions all of which can cause operators to suffer from pain or injury to the neck, wrists, back, shoulders, and arms if they don’t pay careful attention to their posture. Eyestrain is also very common when working with microscopes. This is due to the narrow field of view from most microscope eyepieces. All these risks are more prevalent if microscope users spend long periods of time at the microscope. Thankfully a lot can be done to prevent these effects by adapting workplaces and microscopes to users, properly maintaining microscopes, having correct posture when operating a microscope, and using eye strain reducing habits.
|
Microscope Ergonomics: Adapting Workplaces and Microscopes to Users
Finding the right working posture and working comfortably is what ergonomics is about. An ergonomic microscope workstation focuses on the operator rather than the microscope. These ergonomics enhance user comfort and increase efficiency.
A good starting point is supporting an upright posture. No joint should be bent at an unnatural angle over a long period of time. The overall microscope height, viewing height, and viewing angle should be adjustable, so that the microscope can be perfectly adapted to the individual. Typically, more than one person uses the same microscope, so an ideal workplace should be flexible and adaptable to the physique of different users:
Tables and chairs both need to be adjusted to fit the operator, allowing the operator to rest their feet on the ground, receive lumbar spine support and rest their lower arms comfortably on the table. If possible, use a height adjustable table. This also microscope users to benefit from dividing their time between standing up and sitting down while working.
Use a chair that provides good back and thigh support. The chair should be adjustable, so that users can sit in a relaxed, upright position. Microscope operators also benefit from a lumbar support to reduce tension of the spine. Set the chair or table height so that shoulders can be relaxed close to the side, eyes aligned with the microscope eyepiece, chin tucked back and not lifted, and forearms supported on cushions. Operators should be able to sit with their back against the back rest and feet on the floor, supported on the chair ring, or a footrest. Avoid keeping supplies or other objects under the desk so that leg room will always be available.
Additional ergonomic solutions can be achieved by choosing a microscope with an adjustable eyepiece or that is compatible with various accessories that can change the height, viewing height, and viewing angle of the microscope. Changing to an ergonomically designed microscope and a digital microscope helps. Digital microscopes do away with eyepieces altogether and use a monitor to display the sample. Looking at a monitor allows the operator to look straight ahead and requires no customized adjustment of the microscope.
|
Obtaining Correct Microscope Posture
When sitting down to operate the microscope, push the chair as close to the table as possible and remove anything from underneath the table that prevents the operator from getting close enough.
Then adjust the chair to ensure that the lower back is supported and that feet can be placed approximately shoulder width apart, on the floor or a footrest. This will create three points of balance, providing maximum stability.
Next, adjust the chair to ensure that your forearms can rest on the table to prevent your arms and shoulder muscles from getting tired. For the same reason, you should also keep your elbows close to your sides as you’re controlling the microscope and use padded arm rests to support your forearms when using the microscope controls.
When using a height adjustable table and alternating between sitting down and standing up, make sure to rest forearms on the table and keep elbows close to your sides.
Obtain correct microscope posture for the neck. Avoid jutting the chin forward or bending the neck down when using the microscope as this will put the neck in an unnatural position and strain the eyes, leading to discomfort. When using a traditional microscope start by moving the microscope closer to the edge of the desk’s edge, then adjust eye pieces and angle of observation to prevent neck fatigue and strain. If the microscope is too low causing the head to bend downward to look into the viewing tube, elevate the tabletop if possible. If the work surface is not adjustable, try placing books under the microscope to elevate it. Raise the microscope to a position so that the operator is in as upright a posture as possible to reduce tilting the head and rounding your shoulders. If the microscope is too high causing the operator to raise their head when using it, elevate the chair and use a chair ring or footrest for leg support.
Maintaining Your Microscope to Reduce Eye Strain
Properly maintaining your microscope can help to reduce eye strain. Make sure to keep the lens and eyepieces on microscopes dust and dirt free. Dust issues can be reduced by keeping a cover over microscopes whenever they are not in use. For longer term storage consider keeping it in a case. When needed, use a microscope cleaning kit to clean lenses and to wipe down the stand and other components.
Eye strain can result from misaligned optics in your microscope. Unfortunately, misaligned optics can result from improperly carrying or dropping the microscope, attaching a camera to the eye tube, and wear from use and adjustments over time. Correcting these types of conditions and properly realigning the microscope should be done by a professional microscope optics repair service.
|
Healthy Microscope Habits
- Alternate between sitting down and standing up to avoid sitting in the same position for longer periods of time. Every 30-60 minutes, get up to stretch and move.
- Like other tasks that require a lot of concentration, using a microscope for hours on end will tire you out. For that reason, take a break every 15 minutes, relax your eyes, and do some eye exercises.
- Palming - To do the exercise, start by rubbing your hands together to create a bit of heat. Then, close your eyes and place the palm of your hands over your eyes for a few minutes. The heat from your hands will relax the muscles around the eyes and reduce eye fatigue.
- Blinking - When using a microscope eyepiece, you might forget to blink which in turn will dry out your eyes. Taking a few moments to blink and rehydrate your eyes can therefore help reduce eyestrain as well.
- Change Focus - Take a few moments to look around the room. Find an object that’s close to you and let your eyes focus on it for a few seconds. Then, find an object that’s further away and focus on that for a few seconds. Do this a couple of times to relax your eyes.
- Eyerolls – This exercise online done by closing your eyes and roll them clockwise before rolling them counterclockwise. Do this a couple of times.
- Don't use a microscope for more than 5 hours per day. Spread the use out over the entire workday.
- Avoid long hours at the microscope by doing other tasks throughout the day that doesn’t require a microscope.
- Spread microscope work between several people.
|
Disclaimer:
The information provided in this message are for general informational purposes only. Any information about providers and services contained on this website does not constitute endorsement or recommendation.
REFERENCES & RESOURCES:
Basic Microscope Ergonomics - Nikon's MicroscopyU www.microscopyu.com/microscopy-basics/basic-microscope-ergonomics
Breakthrough in Ergonomics for Laboratory and Clinical Microscopes www.cambridge.org/core/journals/microscopy-today/article/breakthrough-in-ergonomics-for-laboratory-and-clinical-microscopes/18D0F7D04919B6E92C136C445CF3D7F9
Different ways to avoid eyestrain in microscopy https://tagarno.com/blog/how-do-you-avoid-eyestrain-in-microscopy/
Easing the strain https://www.nature.com/articles/425869a
How do you use a microscope in correct posture? https://tagarno.com/blog/how-do-you-use-a-microscope-in-correct-posture/
How to create an ergonomic microscope workstation https://tagarno.com/blog/how-to-create-an-ergonomic-microscope-workstation/
How to Set up a Microscope Ergonomically (PDF) https://ws.engr.illinois.edu/sitemanager/getfile.asp?id=3590
Increase your productivity with ergonomically designed microscopes www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRlkC5Kbnk8
Microscope Ergonomics https://safetyservices.ucdavis.edu/units/occupational-health/ergonomics/lab/microscope
Microscope Ergonomics www.leica-microsystems.com/science-lab/applied/microscope-ergonomics/
Microscope Maintenance: Everything You Need to Know https://amscope.com/blogs/news/microscope-maintenance-everything-you-need-to-know
Microscope Workplaces: How to Reach The Optimal Working Position (VIDEO) https://youtu.be/2bPAXStAFSM?si=k9JR-XnvmG2_hvjC
Microscopes and How to Use a Light Microscope https://youtu.be/tVcEEw6qbBQ?si=GlexLeKC_tDtwomr
Mind Your Back! How to Work Comfortably at Your Microscope with Ergonomics www.olympus-lifescience.com/en/discovery/work-comfortably-microscope-ergonomics/
Preventing eyestrain when looking through microscopes | Amateur Microscopy (VIDEO) https://youtu.be/VeTAt1tv4Bk?si=WjuRXrfYVyt_QGWI
Reducing Eye Strain Starts With Maintaining Your Microscope https://absoluteclarity.com/reducing-eye-strain-starts-with-maintaining-your-microscope/
Why Is Microscopy Ergonomic Important? www.deltapix.dk/post-timeline/why-is-microscopy-ergonomic-important/
|