Ergonomics Matter — But They’re Only Part of the Picture

Across Canada, workplace ergonomic protections are governed by occupational health and safety legislation at both the federal and provincial levels. While regulations vary by jurisdiction, employers are broadly obligated to identify and control ergonomic hazards, conduct workstation assessments and provide appropriate training. In most jurisdictions, joint health and safety committees are also required to include musculoskeletal hazards in workplace inspections. Nevertheless, ergonomics-specific regulations remain inconsistent across the country, making workplace culture and individual awareness even more important. Within the workplace, the tools available to lab professionals and their employers are well established. Ergonomic assessments, adjustable seating and benches, task rotation, micro-breaks and regular ergonomics training all reduce risk. Even small changes, such as avoiding awkward wrist angles when adjusting microscope knobs or applying minimal force when pressing pipette plungers, can make a difference, as per this Lab Manager article. On the question of sitting versus standing, Mulkewich says neither extreme is ideal. Sitting for long periods puts strain on the lumbar discs and gradually tightens the hip flexors and hamstrings, which adds further stress to the back; but standing all day can create a different set of problems. As she points out, the body tends to sag into extension, increasing pressure on the facet joints of the spine and adding load through the knees. The best solution, she says, is a desk that allows workers to alternate between sitting and standing. In Mulkewich’s view, minimizing repetitive movement is just as important as changing postures. If you don’t move your body in different ways, you start to lose mobility and, “all of a sudden, when you do something that requires that mobility, certain joints are not going to be very happy,” she says. She advises changing tasks as often as possible. “What that break frequency looks like and how long those breaks are will look different for everyone, and it might take some trial and error to figure it out. It might also look different during a really acute phase of an injury… versus later when you’re feeling more recovered.” But even an ideal ergonomic setup and frequent changes of movement may not be enough. Most lab professionals have roughly 14 hours each day outside of work and commuting — and many of the same muscles and tendons stressed at work continue to be loaded at home, as leisure activities can involve similar repetitive patterns, such as sustained sitting, repeated bending and fixed postures, says Mulkewich. While patients often expect a solution in the form of a new chair or desk, the reality is that total daily load determines whether tissues recover or break down. “We don’t want to put everything into silos to kind of say, okay, here’s my work, here’s my sport,” she says. She stresses that an ergonomic lab bench cannot compensate for hours of poor posture at home or inadequate sleep. Long evenings spent hunched over a phone or slouched on a couch may undo the benefits of even the best workstation setup.