To study human tissue for the diagnosis of diseases or to evaluate the effectiveness of a treatment, a very thin sample of tissue must be obtained using a microtome. The movement associated to the manipulation of most microtomes is cyclical, and leads to a continuous repetition of the movement during the workday. This repeated motion, associated with inadequate postures, increases the risk of musculoskeletal injuries. Te use of kinematics is proposed to assess this risk, by obtaining the acceleration and velocity profiles of the movement. This characterization of the movement is very important to define the different phases and positions, gaining information on critical points of the movement that might be related to the potential of injury. In this work, the movement performed by a laboratory technician using a microtome was captured during a regular workday session. The kinematics of the movement was obtained and its characterization was attained. High accelerations in the elbow and wrist, associated with the high frequency of the motion, suggest a potential of injury at these locations. Moreover, the inclination of the neck is inside the range of risk of injury.