The Impact of Protective Gloves on Manual Dexterity in Cold Environments-A Pilot Study.

Joanna Orysiak,Emilia Irzmańska,Magdalena Młynarczyk

doi:10.3390/ijerph19031637

Joanna Orysiak, Emilia Irzmańska + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031637

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Abstract

Our research aimed to determine the impact of two types of protective gloves. The research tested the glove performance on men exposed to a range of temperatures reflecting the working conditions in fruit and vegetable processing. The gloves were assessed for performance within the time required to complete a specific manual task and for performance relative to the subjective thermal sensations in the male subjects. Six males participated in a total of 3 study variants: at +5 °C (with double gloves and single glove), at −1 °C (with double gloves and single glove) and in reference conditions +20 °C (without gloves), in which they performed manual tasks. The measurement of manual task performance time was used to assess manual dexterity. Subjective thermal sensations were determined. Differences in the time required to complete specific tasks were observed between the variants with gloves (both at a temperature of +5 °C and −1 °C), and without gloves (p < 0.05). The type of protective gloves had an impact on the time needed to complete manual tasks and therefore may affect manual dexterity.

Highlights

IntroductionWorkers from various industries are exposed to different microclimate conditions—cold, hot or moderate
When people work at low temperatures or in contact with cold surfaces, it is very important to ensure that the appropriate skin temperatures for hands and fingers are maintained in order to prevent a reduction in the manual performance and/or frostbite [6,7]
This study showed that exposure to ambient temperature of 5 ◦ C or lower, even when using protective gloves, lead to impaired ability to perform finger and hand dexterity tasks, which was demonstrated by extending the time required to complete the specific tasks

Summary

Introduction

Workers from various industries are exposed to different microclimate conditions—cold, hot or moderate. According to Statistics Poland data [4], in 2020 over 10,000 workers in Poland were exposed to work in a cold microclimate, including around 40% of people working in the production of food and beverages. When people work at low temperatures or in contact with cold surfaces, it is very important to ensure that the appropriate skin temperatures for hands and fingers are maintained in order to prevent a reduction in the manual performance and/or frostbite [6,7]. Workers should be equipped with appropriate gloves to protect them against the effects of low temperatures [6]. It was shown, that gloves may reduce hand heat losses even by 60–90% [8]. Despite the protection and safety, wearing gloves may impair manual performance, for example, due to decreased grip strength, dexterity

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