title: Design options for improving protective gloves for industrial assembly work.
abstract: The study investigated the effects of wearing two new designs of cotton glove on several hand performance capabilities and compared them against the effects of barehanded, single-layered and double cotton glove conditions when working with hand tools (screwdriver and pliers). The new glove designs were based on the findings of subjective hand discomfort assessments for this type of work and aimed to match the glove thickness to the localised pressure and sensitivity in different areas of the hand as well as to provide adequate dexterity for fine manipulative tasks. The results showed that the first prototype glove and the barehanded condition were comparable and provided better dexterity and higher handgrip strength than double thickness gloves. The results support the hypothesis that selective thickness in different areas of the hand could be applied by glove manufacturers to improve the glove design, so that it can protect the hands from the environment and at the same time allow optimal hand performance capabilities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Health, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Electronic address: dianati@tbzmed.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Iman
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dianat
authors.affiliation: Human Factors Research Group, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK. Electronic address: christine.haslegrave@nottingham.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Christine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Haslegrave
authors.affiliation: Human Systems Integration Group, Faculty of Engineering and Computing, Coventry University, UK. Electronic address: alex.stedmon@coventry.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Alex W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Stedmon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006804:Ergonomics; D005384:Finger Joint / Q000502:physiology; D017575:Gloves, Protective / Q000592:standards*; D006225:Hand / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D066192:Manufacturing Industry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Glove; Hand tool; Pliers; Screwdriver