Evaluation of Worker Satisfaction with the Use of Hand Tools in a Poultry Slaughterhouse

The Use of Personal Protective Equipment: Finger Temperatures and Thermal Sensation of Workers’ Exposure to Cold Environment

“…Studies have also found that workers used three overlapping gloves on the left (56.6%) and right (60.5%) hands [ 27 ] and each one with different functions [ 38 ]. Willms et al [ 21 ] mention that to maintain an unloaded grip posture and to create a fixed submaximal force, participants increased muscle activation for all muscles with increasing glove thickness ( p < 0.05).…”

“…Willms et al [ 21 ] mention that to maintain an unloaded grip posture and to create a fixed submaximal force, participants increased muscle activation for all muscles with increasing glove thickness ( p < 0.05). The poultry slaughterhouse workers perceived the exertion applied when cutting the product as mild (48.7%) and moderate (42.1%); there was no correlation between the number of overlapped gloves on the same hand and the intensity perception of applied force ( p > 0.05) [ 27 ].…”

“…It is considered an artificially cold environment in slaughterhouses when the temperature is lower than 10–15 °C, depending on the region of Brazil where the plant is located [ 18 ]. Studies in slaughterhouses found that the workers presented some discomfort in relation to the cold, in general and in the hands, when exposed to artificially cold environments [ 17 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 27 ].…”

“…For pig slaughterhouse workers, it was the feet (68.8%) and the hands (28.1%) [ 26 ], and in another research, it was again the feet (56.2%) and the hands (42.8%) [ 25 ]. In all previous studies, the hands presented less than half of the cases, however, in a poultry slaughterhouse ( n = 76), 61% of the workers felt cold in their hands [ 27 ], 78% of the poultry slaughterhouse workers felt cold at different intensities: mild (18.1%), moderate (29.5%), and very cold (30.4%) [ 16 ]. One study with 106 pig slaughterhouse workers verified that 66% felt cold in the hands with intensities: mild (25.5%), moderate (16.0%), and very cold (24.5%) [ 17 ].…”

“…Recent studies indicate that slaughterhouse workers presented low hand temperatures, despite wearing protective gloves [ 16 , 17 ], and bodily discomfort [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]. Considering that such studies are still scarce, there is a substantial knowledge gap regarding the finger temperatures of poultry slaughterhouse workers.…”