Laboratory assessment of the effect of heavy rubber glove thickness and sizing on effort, performance and comfort

The efforts in the forearm during the use of anti-vibration gloves in simulated work tasks

“…In our study, comparing FDS, FCU, ECRL and ECU muscle activations during operations with a Multi-Cutter and a Rotary Hammer, ECU was the muscle with the highest %MVE for 11 and 10 operators (n ¼ 14), respectively (w28%MVE and w51% MVE). These results are not directly comparable to the results of Larivière et al (2004Larivière et al ( , 2010 and Wells et al (2010), because different muscles were assessed through different test conditions. However, the conclusion of this study is consistent with those authors in regards to the fact that the extensor muscles should be the target muscle group in the assessment of muscle exertion during simulated gripping work.…”

“…Comparing the EMG activation of forearm muscles (FDS, FCR, ECR, ED) with and without different gloves when applying the same external load as controlled by a handgrip dynamometer, Larivière et al (2010) concluded that FCR was the muscle with the greatest sensitivity to glove stiffness. Wells et al (2010) reported large and statistically significant differences as glove thickness increased effort and EMG amplitude increased. Four tasks were performed with a set of gloves.…”

“…A similar increase in electromyographic (EMG) signal occurred from the bare hand to the moderately stiff glove condition with respect to the flexor carpi radialis muscle, but this increase was not statistically significant (Larivière et al, 2004). Wells et al (2010) reported large and statistically significant differences as glove thickness increased effort and EMG amplitude increased. When moving from the bare hand to the thickest glove, the perceived exertion and muscle activity ratings increased approximately threefold.…”

Improvement of insulation effectiveness of natural rubber by adding hydroxyl-functionalized barium titanate nanoparticles

“…Considerable efforts are being done to increase the dielectric performance of NR formulations while minimizing the thickness of the resulting protective tools such as insulating gloves and sleeves. By this way the comfort, effort and touch can be greatly improved during object manipulation by wearers [5]. Recently, we have reported that by using specific nanofillers in the NR recipe, the dielectric properties of the final products can be strongly improved [6].…”

Comparison of five approaches to keeping power line maintainers’ hands warm during work in the cold

“…Rubber gloves are manufactured to a regulated safety standard. For the participants recruited, the gloves were available in all sizes enabling participants to wear a properly fitted glove [3]. The glove conditions were: A) Five-finger glove with a regular cotton liner and gauntlet (leather over-glove); B) Mitten gloves with a regular cotton liner and gauntlet and with separate compartments for the thumb, index finger and digits 3-5 with matching covers and manufactured by the same company as the standard glove; C) Torso Warmers: A total of four heating pads were secured on the lower back using a torso waist band [4]; D) Glove Warmers: They were secured on the back of the hands over the top of glove liners using tape.…”