Remodeled Showroom Displays Equipment That Fits
By Mika Ono
Operating under the adage “the best cure is prevention,”
The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) Environmental Health
and Safety Department is opening its remodeled Ergonomic Showroom
this week.
"The showroom gives employees a chance to try out the equipment
instead of ordering it sight unseen from a catalog," says
Barry Rutledge, senior safety consultant with Environmental
Health and Safety. "That should help everyone find the items
they need to perform their job comfortably and to minimize
repetitive motion injuries."
One of the few employer-sponsored ergonomic displays in
the region, the facility showcases equipment designed to ease
the physical stress of work both in the office and in the
lab. Equipment on display includes ergonomically designed
chairs, stools, keyboards, keyboard trays, wrist rests, and
pipettes. The facility also contains a biological safety cabinet
so employees can try out stools and other seating and Environmental
Health and Safety personnel can demonstrate proper posture.
The newest member of the Environmental Health and Safety
Department, Senior Safety Consultant Karen Trapane, will soon
begin coordinating TSRI's ergonomic programs, including the
showroom. Trapane, whose 10 years in the field includes extensive
experience with ergonomics, is also available for personal
ergonomic evaluations.
Trapane says, "Two people can use the same workstation and
feel very differently about it. What's comfortable for one
person isn't necessarily comfortable for another. With ergonomics,
you have to solve problems on an individual basis."
"Ergonomics is more of an art than a science," Rutledge adds.
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Senior Safety Consultant Barry Rutledge
shows some of the equipment in TSRI's remodeled Ergonomic
Showroom.
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