ABSTRACT
The hand is the most complex of all of the anatomical structures in the human body. It has been found that hand injuries are among the most frequent injuries that occur to the body, predominantly occurring during industrial activities. It has therefore been concluded that more research is needed into protective factors, such as glove use. The design features of a glove emphasize either protection or performance. There is often a tradeoff between increased safety and perfonnance capability when donning gloves. It has been determined that gloves which are fitted and comfortable for the worker may provide the best compromise between protective functions and decreased perfonnance. This investigation aimed to assess the influence of glove fit on the performance attributes of industrial tasks. Glove fit was analyzed as 35 participants donned 3 different glove sizes during each test, including a best fitting glove, a glove one size smaller than best fitting, and a glove one size larger than best fitting. For each glove size, gloves of two differing materials were tested. A barehanded condition was also tested, totaling 7 gloved/barehanded conditions for each test. Significant differences (p<0.05) were found between conditions for participants' dexterity, speed and accuracy and torque, indicating variance in performance due to glove fit.
