Chris,
You were wondering if laboratory workers were at risk of having hearing
problems because of all these noisy robots. In my view, with all these
computers screen, laboratory workers are more at risk of having problems
with their eyes.
Joseph,
Dr Joseph Watine, PH, AIHP, PharmD, AAHU, EurClinChem
Laboratoire de Biologie Polyvalente
Centre Hospitalier Général
12027 Rodez Cedex 9
France
>From: "Bertholf, Roger" <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: "Bertholf, Roger" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Noise in laboratories
>Date: Wed, 26 May 2004 08:35:45 -0400
>
>Dear Chris:
>
>I think you pose a very interesting question, and my initial reaction is
>that clinical laboratories are quieter today than they were one or two
>decades ago. When highly automated clinical analyzers first became
>available, I do not think that manufacturers gave adequate attention to
>noise levels, because they may have assumed--perhaps justifiably--that
>theirs would be the only noisy apparatus in the lab. The Technicon SMAC was
>so noisy that many labs located it in a separate room. The DuPont ACA III
>"breaker mixer" could be heard throughout any lab that used that
>instrument.
>The Abbott TDx instruments weren't overly noisy, but high volume labs often
>had several of them, and the cumulative mechanical noise was significant.
>The horrendous noise made by the Polaroid/Behring benchtop OPUS analyzer
>was
>the main reason that I declined to place one in our lab. We had an employee
>who was sensitive, or so she claimed, to the high frequency horn used to
>dissolve reagent tablets in the Paramax analyzer. The company assured us
>that the frequency was out of the range of human hearing, but I didn't (and
>still don't) believe them. We had to provide the technologist with a
>protective headset, which of course meant she could not use the telephone,
>causing some resentment among other technologists who carried the extra
>burden of responding to telephone inquiries about lab results.
>
>I believe if you could compare, you would find that clinical laboratories
>are much, much quieter today than they were 10-20 years ago.
>
>Kind regards,
>
>Roger
>
>Roger L. Bertholf, Ph.D.
>Associate Professor of Pathology
>Director ofr Clincal Chemistry & Toxicology
>University of Florida Health Science Center/Jacksonville
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Royle Chris [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2004 5:46 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Noise in laboratories
>
>
>Dear all,
>Are modern day laboratories (especially Haematology and / or Biochemistry)
>"noisy"?
>How do they rate in relation to other workplaces in this respect?
>Do lab. staff suffer any long term hearing loss, or is this an
>under-reported or disregarded problem?
>I realise the "how long is a piece of string?" nature of the question, but
>I
>would be very interested in your views, opinions and experiences.
>
>Best wishes,
>Chris
>
>Chris Royle
>Laboratory Manager,
>Clinical Biochemistry and Haematology Departments,
>Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust,
>Royal Brompton Hospital,
>Sydney Street,
>LONDON
>SW3 6NP
>phone: + 44 (0)20 7351 8413
>fax: + 44 (0)20 7351 8416
>e mail [log in to unmask]
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