Eureka Anti-Vibration Gloves
A Q&A with Eureka on anti-vibration gloves.
There have been some negative reports about Anti-Vibration gloves, do they really work?
Yes, Anti-Vibration (AV) gloves work well within certain ranges; however, it’s critical to match the glove to the risk to get a good result. Most vibration gloves also have some frequencies where they increase the risk for injuries, so using an AV glove that does not match the tool might do more damage than good!
What tools and frequencies are most dangerous to the operator?
Traditionally frequencies between 8-16Hz have been considered most dangerous, and this is reflected in the current standard for AV gloves: ISO 5349-1. It’s also this assumption that is the basis for calculating all acceleration values for tools.
Unfortunately, more recent research shows that the risk of developing White Finger Syndrome is highest between 30Hz to up to at least 300Hz, and serious damage may also occur at much higher frequencies than that.
How do I know the tool frequency?
A crude guide is the machine rpm. In addition to that there is usually significant “noise” at higher frequencies. All impacting tools provide a very large amount of high frequency vibrations with every impact, as well as the base-frequency from the rpm.
What are the limits to traditional AV gloves?
Most certified vibration gloves provide a good protection above 50-100Hz for palm and 500Hz for the fingers, but amplify Hand-Arm vibrations around 30Hz and Finger vibrations from 100-300Hz.
So has Eureka solved the vibration problem?
No, Eureka is setting new limits to the vibration glove protection, but this is no substitute for risk assessments, measurements and limiting exposure time.
How do I select the correct vibration glove?
First an acceleration and crude frequency mapping must be done, and maximum exposure times decided.
You can then use the chart below to help select your gloves:
1 Start at the identified frequencies.
2 Adjust the frequencies according to troublesome circumstances such as cold temperatures, high grip force or vibrations in the shear direction. (All these factors increase the need for protection so focus on a frequency lower than the estimated/measured frequencies.)
3 Select a suitable glove for adequate protection. Note that in some cases there are no good glove solutions! Hand-Arm vibrations below 50Hz or fingers below 100Hz are all out of range for AV gloves.
Eureka is the PPE division of Y. Berger & Co AB, est 1959, specializing in the development and production of unique glove solutions for professional usage. Marketing and product development are managed from its head office in Göteborg, Sweden, while production of coated gloves are done in its fully owned production subsidiary.