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With two prolapsed disks, the 6’ 4” German-born scientist has become as sharply focused on ergonomic safety inside the laboratory as he is on exploring the dynamics of atoms and molecules inside vacuum chambers.
With help from EHSS ergonomist Melanie Alexandre, he has created a new partnership to prevent ergonomics-related injuries among scientists and staffers working with the unique equipment found throughout Berkeley Lab.Eight years ago, Berkeley Lab scientist Thorsten Weber injured his back lifting a heavy steel lid across the top of his 500-pound reaction microscope and — in a strange way — we may all be better off for that.
“Every day, I bring my bad back to the lab,” says Weber. “We want to work safely, and to take this seriously.”
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Every time he is reminded by a jolt of back pain, Weber is haunted by the notion that it could happen to someone else. Investments in a culture of safety, he says, are a bargain. “If only I hadn’t lifted that lid… It only has to happen once, and it can change your whole life.”
