Any extended segment of repetitive work like that can be problematic. I believe there is a need to emphasize problems with arm length, hand size, and box height.
I will be concern about very tall people more; they have to premonition down.
I will suggest generating an ergonomic checklist and guidelines for gloveboxes that would be beneficial for the prevention
and reduction of musculoskeletal disorders. I will also suggest approaching the American Glove Box Society for further information. They have one section devoted to Glove Box ergonomics. There is also a nice article in the JCHAS, which talks about Glove Box
ergonomic hazards.
https://dchas.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Rotator-cuff-strength-balance-in-glovebox-workers.pdf
The student can also try yoga
to relax neck and shoulder muscles.
Tilak
Hi All:
I heard from a colleague the other day about a repetitive motion injury she has sustained, working in a glove box for extended periods of time - 9-10 hours in some cases, multiple times a week. Her PI, while he has high expectations, is supportive and empathetic to her.
Physical therapy has helped but that doesn't solve the root cause: this glove box and most glove boxes are designed for the standard male - 5'10"-6' tall with the attendant shoulder distance to be able to access the glove ports. She's a very short woman with the attendant smaller distance across her shoulders. Injury was inevitable.
There are a couple of issues here:
I know I'm railing at the universe here but it's just more examples of how women scientists (and small men, for that matter) are generally ignored and how graduate students, doing the heavy lifting of discovery research, continue to be exploited to the point of injury.
Thanks for listening.
Debbie
Debbie M. Decker, ACS Fellow
Programming Co-Chair
Chemistry Dept. Safety Manager (ret.)
dmdecker**At_Symbol_Here**ucdavis.edu
(916)616-7548
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