Assessing the performance of anti-vibration gloves--a possible alternative to ISO 10819, 1996.

Special gloves (commonly referred to as anti-vibration gloves) have been offered for many years as personal protection against hand-arm vibration generated, for example, by powered hand tools. An internationally agreed means of quantifying the vibration-reducing performance of such gloves was not available until the publication of International Standard ISO 10819, 1996. The evaluation of the Standard reported here has led to the conclusion that the test could be improved to give more information to the potential glove user about how the glove might perform. Investigations of the main factors which can influence the results of glove transmissibility tests have formed the basis for a proposal to develop the Standard. The proposed alternative test measures the performance of a glove in octave bands and the resultant data can be used to estimate the potential that the glove has to protect against any given vibration source. Examples of the application of the proposed alternative test for selection of anti-vibration gloves matched to particular vibration sources (powered hand tools) are given. The advantages and disadvantages of the two test methods are discussed. The evaluation of the Standard and proposals for its development are under discussion with members of the committee which developed ISO 10819, 1996.