Force capability differences due to gloves.

There are many tasks in the industrial environment, involving the use of the hands, for which gloves are required or voluntarily used by many workers. When an individual grasps a handle in attempting to exert short-term maximum force his/ her capability is influenced by the use of gloves. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the influence of a single glove and a double glove on handle forces generated by individuals. Thirty male volunteers were used as subjects. The maximum pull force, maximum push force, maximum wrist flexion torque and maximum wrist extension torque were measured under the condition of a slippery handle. These exertions of the subject's dominant hand were measured while using no glove, one glove and two gloves. Results indicated that the one-glove condition was superior to the conditions of no glove or double gloves for the forces and torques measured