Hi Jane, I wear gel padded vibration resistent gloves when weed whacking on my lifestyle property. I find them comfortable. One thing to note is that PPE conformance claims cannot be made as I dont believe there is a standard. Regards, Michelle

Jane
If you make contact With Steph Hembury. She has done papers and research in the UK and NZ
If you cant find her details let me know. Cheers Kelvin. Kelvinathswnzdotcodotnz

Hi Jane, I don't believe the gloves will alter the actual vibration that workers are being exposed to from hand tool use, unlike your other controls that engineer out the risk, or control via time of exposure. But I say that without a specific review of current literature around that - there should probably be some detailed evaluations of HAV measures taken - external and internal to such gloves? Like you I would be suspicious of the manufacturers claims. However offering them as an option might be the way to go. Some people may find them beneficial and helpful, whereas others might not. They might be useful for those who are sensitive to the circulatory effects of vibration, for example. Gloves may offer some 'better grip' from a more 'sticky' grasp surface, which can also be helpful as it may reduce the grasp forces required, but gloves can also have inherent additional grasp force if they are not a great fit or design. So gloves may have multiple plus/minus aspects. Another plus is that they might be better in cold weather as they help to keep the hands warm, and therefore aid better circulation and therefore ease of grasp. In summer they might get sweaty and slippery on the inside and do more harm than good. In practice many people will have an inherent feel for whether they help or hinder, so it might be a great opportunity to offer workers some latitude with deciding how they will do the task/what gear to use.

Hi Jane,

Anti-vibration gloves are a mixed bag. They may provide little protection, but at the same time they may increase risks as well.

The type of system represented by a hand and the resilient pad built into a glove has a natural frequency higher than those mainly implicated in HAV syndrome (HAVS). In some cases, a small reduction in vibration amplitude is achieved, while in others the vibration exposure of the hand may actually increase.

The structure of most antivibration gloves normally makes it much more difficult to grip and control tools and work than would be the case if they were not worn. This may merely be an inconvenience, but it may also force the user to grip the tool more tightly, once again probably increasing the risk of HAVS.

As a result of the above factors, antivibration gloves are not normally recommended as part of a programme of measures to reduce HAV risks. They may keep the hands warm and this can help to protect against vibration damage. However, any glove will do this, and it would be more beneficial to choose a type that allows good control of the tool without an excessively tight grip. In any case, the antivibration types are considerably more expensive than most other gloves.

In my experience an expensive waste of time.
The use of gloves to keep hands warm will certainly help blood flow in colder conditions which can marginally help, but the only way to manage HAVS is through measuring, monitoring and ensuring exposure times are not exceeded.

only way to manage HAVS is through measuring, monitoring and ensuring exposure times are not exceeded. — Gary Clarkson

Or firstly trying to eliminate or isolate the source of the vibration in the first place - balance shafts, dampers, tighter tolerances (which are one of the reason certain brands cost more), electric vs 2-stroke powered, etc.

well yeah, the OP stated that they had implemented these and was asking about gloves !

Hi all.
I've been recording all 1,161 HSE research reports in Endnote (proprietary software). A search has found 16 that include "vibration" as a keyword. Some may be helpful.
If one of the reports seems interesting you will need to visit the website and then look for the report number (eg, for the first in the list below copy/paste https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/index.htm into your browser and then go to the list that includes report 613; click through to download the report).
To make life easier I'm planning to also include in the database the IOSH research reports (and any others I can find) and then in 2021 include their use when teaching Master's papers at Victoria University. This is part of helping practitioners become professionals.

Darby, A. (2008). Whole-body vibration and ergonomics toolkit. Health and Safety Executive [Research Report RR0612]. https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/index.htm
Darby, A., & Pitts, P. (2008). Whole-body vibration and ergonomics of driving occupations: Phase 2: Port vehicles. Health and Safety Executive [Research Report RR0613]. https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/index.htm
Heaton, R., Hewitt, S., & Yeomans, E. (2007). Correlation between vibration emission and vibration during real use: Fastener driving tools. Health and Safety Executive [Research Report RR0591]. https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/index.htm
Hewitt, S., Heaton, R., Shanks, E., & Mole, M. (2007). Correlation between vibration emission and vibration during real use: Polishers and sanders. Health and Safety Executive [Research Report RR0590]. https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/index.htm
Hewitt, S., & Mason, H. (2015). A critical review of evidence related to hand-arm vibration syndrome and the extent of exposure to vibration. Health and Safety Executive [Research Report RR1060]. https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/index.htm
Mitchell, R., Garner, K., & Vaghela, S. (2004). Implications of the Physical Agents (Vibration) Directive for SMEs. Health and Safety Executive [Research Report RR0267]. https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/index.htm
Pitts, P. (2008). Whole-body vibration of ground-preparation activities in forestry. Health and Safety Executive [Research Report RR0636]. https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/index.htm
Poole, K. (2009). A review of the literature published since 2004 with potential relevance in the diagnosis of HAVS. Health and Safety Executive [Research Report RR0711]. https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/index.htm
Poole, K., & Mason, H. (2006). Temporary threshold shifts as indicators of hand­arm vibration exposure. Health and Safety Executive [Research Report RR0479]. https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/index.htm
Poole, K., & Mason, H. (2008). Data mining in a HAVS referral population. Health and Safety Executive [Research Report RR0666]. https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/index.htm
Poole, K., & Mason, H. (2008). Upper limb disability and exposure to hand-arm vibration in selected industries. Health and Safety Executive [Research Report RR0666]. https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/index.htm
Poole, K., Mason, H., & Mcdowell, G. (2008). The influence of posture and environmental temperature on the diagnostic ability of finger systolic blood pressure. Health and Safety Executive [Research Report RR0665]. https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/index.htm
Scarlett, A. (2007). Whole-body vibration on self-propelled forage harvesters: Evaluation of emission and estimated daily exposure levels. Health and Safety Executive [Research Report RR0544]. https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/index.htm
Scarlett, A., Price, J., & Semple, D. (2005). Whole-body vibration on agricultural vehicles: evaluation of emission and estimated exposure levels. Health and Safety Executive [Research Report RR0321]. https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/index.htm
Shanks, E. (2007). Correlation between vibration emission and vibration during real use: Nibblers and shears. Health and Safety Executive [Research Report RR0576]. https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/index.htm

An update on my last post. I just catalogued another research report into Endnote. The report is:
Hewitt, S. (2010). Triaxial measurements of the performance of anti-vibration gloves. Health and Safety Executive [Research Report RR0795]. https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/index.htm
The report summary says:
"The aim of this investigation is to either confirm or challenge the assertion made by a particular machine manufacturer, that the glove they supply will provide useful attenuation of the vibration generated by their hand-held power tool products".