Skytron Blog

Working in Sterile Processing has always been demanding. The responsibility is significant, the knowledge required continues to grow, and much of the work that contributes to safe surgical care happens where patients will never see it.

Then there is the physical side of the job.

Ask any technician who has spent hours working in PPE, worked through 20+ rep trays that arrived ahead of tomorrow’s total joints, or loaded and unloaded sterilizers through an 8- or 12-hour shift. They don’t need a study to tell them the work is physically demanding. They feel it.

And those demands don’t exist in just one area of the department. They change as instruments move from decontamination through prep and pack, sterilization, storage, and case cart preparation.

As we recognize Sterile Processing Week, it’s worth looking at what those physical demands add up to and whether the spaces we’ve built for our teams are helping make the work a little easier.

Decontamination Adds Another Layer

Workstation height becomes especially noticeable in decontamination. A sink that’s too low means repeated bending, while one that’s too high changes how you reach and work throughout the shift.

AORN has addressed ergonomically appropriate sink heights in its instrument cleaning guidance for years. Its 2026 update reinforces the importance of adjustable sinks, adequate workspace, and anti-fatigue mats, while adding greater attention to body temperature regulation in decontamination.

The organization also now conditionally recommends cooling devices worn under PPE to help reduce heat stress and advises against fans because they can disrupt airflow and aerosolize contaminants. NIOSH also notes that PPE such as waterproof aprons, surgical gowns, face shields, boots, and gloves can trap heat and moisture, reducing the body’s ability to release heat.

You still have instruments to clean and inspect, Lakeside carts to sort through, and washers to load. And you’re doing those movements in the PPE required to protect you while you work.
 

The Physical Work Doesn’t Stop on the Clean Side

Once you leave decontamination, the PPE comes off, but the physical demands continue.

Hours are spent inspecting, assembling, and taking inventory of instruments at prep and pack workstations. Add in wrapping sets, loading sterilizers, unloading washers and sterilizers, building case carts, reaching for lower shelves, and moving carts through the department, and those movements take a physical toll over the course of a shift.

AAMI has long recommended limiting instrument sets to 25 pounds, including the instruments, container, and packaging. But weight alone doesn’t tell the whole story. Where that weight is lifted from, where it needs to go, how far you have to reach, and how often you repeat the movement all contribute to the physical demands of the job.
 

Plan for the Movements That Will Happen Every Day

When you’re looking at a floor plan, it’s easy to see where a sink, washer, sterilizer, workstation, or storage system will fit. What is harder to see are the movements that will happen around that equipment hundreds of times after the department opens.

Where will a tray sit while a technician is working on it? How far will they reach for the tools and supplies they use most often? Will they need to bend every time they load or unload a particular piece of equipment? Are heavier sets being stored at a height that requires repeated lifting from low shelves? Is there enough room at prep and pack to work with a full tray without crowding the surface? How far are carts traveling between each step?

Even workstation height changes how someone interacts with it. A fixed height that works well for one technician may leave another bending or reaching through an entire shift.

These are the kinds of questions worth asking while a department is still on paper, when there is still an opportunity to change the answer.

Skytron’s Processing Sinks provide adjustable working heights in decontamination, while Prep & Pack Workstations bring that same adjustability to instrument inspection and assembly on the clean side.

As we recognize Sterile Processing Week, take a look around your department from a different perspective. Not just where the work happens, but what your team has to lift, reach for, bend over, push, pull, load, and unload to make that work happen every day.
 

 
Resources
1. AORN. Key Takeaways: 3 New Instrument Cleaning Guideline Updates to Improve Sterilization Safety.
2. AORN. Guideline Update: Sterilization Packaging.
3. NIOSH. PPE Heat Burden.
4. Healthcare Purchasing News. Lighten Instrument Set Loads for Processing Success, Staff Safety.