The effectiveness of using two different types of anti-vibration gloves compared to bare hand condition at dampening the frequencies associated with hand-arm vibration syndrome

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Jack, Robert J.

Affiliations: School of Human Kinetics, Laurentian University, 933 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Tel.: +1 705 675 1151 ext. 1076; Fax: +1 705 675 4845; E-mail: rj_jack@nickel.laurentian.ca

Abstract: The ability of a foam-padded and air-bladder glove to significantly attenuate hand-arm vibration compared to an individual's bare hands (after the effect of adipose content of the distal upper extremity had been removed) was studied. Subjects consisted of 3 male and 8 female university students' aged 20 to 22 years. After the effect of adipose content of the distal upper extremity was removed, the effect of the gloves on transmissibility was significant with F_{2,959} = 5.27, p<0.000. The effect of the frequencies was significant with F_{31,959} = 8.80, p<0.000. There was no significant interaction between the gloves and frequencies on transmissibility with F_{62,959} = 0.22, p = 1.000. Post-hoc analysis revealed that there was a significant difference was between bare hand and foam-padded glove conditions, F_{1,1052} = 8.13, p = 0.004, where foam-padded gloves had significantly greater transmissibility. Post-hoc analysis of the frequencies indicated that there were significant differences between frequencies at with the highest transmissibility occurring at 100 Hz.

Keywords: Hand-arm vibration, transmissibility, anti-vibration gloves, and adipose content

Journal: Work, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 197-203, 2005