Effects of Work Gloves on Gripping and One-Handed Carrying Strength

Abstract

Gloves are widely used at work to protect hands from potential hazards and injuries. Three common types of work gloves were chosen to study the effect of wearing gloves on gripping and one-handed carrying strength. Six male and six female adults were recruited as subjects. The gripping and one-handed carrying strength of both dominant and non-dominant hands were tested. Glove conditions included bare hand and wearing three types of gloves. For hand grip force measurements, grip spans included 4.5, 5.5, 6.5, and 7.5 cm. For one-handed hand carrying strength, the postural conditions included straight and semi-squat. The result indicated that all the gender, handedness, grip span, and glove conditions affected the hand grip strength significantly (p<0.05). The effects of posture and gender on the hand carrying strength were significant (p<0.01). Wearing work gloves reduced gripping strength. Among the three types work gloves, Glove C was the worst choice for grip strength, however, it was the best choice for one-handed carrying strength. The information of this study is useful for workers to select suitable gloves when they perform gripping and carrying tasks.