Browsing by Author "Kuklane, Kalev"

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Anti-vibration Gloves - in Theory and Practice
(Arbets- och miljömedicin, Göteborgs universitet, 2016-06-06) Mg Jonsson, Per; Kuklane, Kalev; Balogh, Istvan
Vibrations from hand-held machinery are a major problem in the Swedish labour force. In 2009, 14% of men and 3% of women of employed in Sweden reported exposure to hand-arm vibration at least a quarter of their working time according to the Swedish Work Environment Authority (Arbetsmiljöverket 2010). It is tempting to imagine a protective glove that could reduce or even eliminate this problem. This report from the Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in Lund and Gothenburg describes how anti-vibration gloves (AVGs) are experienced, and how they work and affect the exposure from hand-held machines. Generally, all protective equipment disrupts work to a greater or lesser degree. Working without a helmet, protective mask, hearing protection, and protective clothing is preferred in most situations. Furthermore, the availability of gloves which are supposedly AV may give rise to an ethical dilemma: the user may handle the machines more intensely and for a longer time in the belief that the hand is protected from vibration damage. But are those AV claims true and how do these gloves perform in practice? Is the experience regarding the gloves that they dampen the vibrations? To what extent do the gloves disturb the worker and interfere with the work? How much damping can be expected when using low-speed and high-speed grinders, respectively? These issues will be discussed in the following report. Nine subjects, whose work task was to deburr and grind aircraft engine components, were given the opportunity to test a specific AVG for 3 months. They all worked with a variety of rotating air-powered and vibrating machines. Only one model of AVG was tested. The glove was CE-marked and was claimed to comply with standard ISO 10819:1996. The test subjects tried the glove for 3 months. After this period, they answered a questionnaire containing 14 questions including questions on hand temperature, grip, dexterity and self-reported vibration damping. To assess the usefulness of the AVG, the vibration level and vibration frequency spectrum were measured on the machines used by the subjects. During the measurements, a skilled operator performed a typical deburring task. The vibrations from many of the machines in this study, which are used over long periods for deburring, will be damped to some extent. But it is not obvious that this damping neither can be experienced, nor give reduced daily vibration exposure in accordance with the regulations, or reduce the risk of vibration injury in the hands. So-called “AVGs” generally give insufficient reduction in vibration exposure. This is demonstrated already by the standard for CE certification of AVGs. For a glove to protect against normal, low-frequency vibrations, it would have to be too heavy and thick to be practical. Despite the limitations of the protection that the CE-marked protective gloves offer against vibrations, we still recommend the use of gloves because: 1. High-frequency vibrations, which are presumed to be harmful, will be damped. 2. The gloves will ensure that vibrations will not be amplified. 3. Gloves keep the hands warm, which is believed to reduce vibration-related disorders.
Ergonomics of Protective Clothing Proceedings of NOKOBETEF 6 and 1st European Conference on Protective Clothing held in Stockholm, Sweden, May 7-10, 2000
(Arbetslivsinstitutet, 2000) Kuklane, Kalev; Holmér, Ingvar
The European Directives on personal protective devices have increased the interest in protective and functional properties of work clothing and intensified standardisation work as well as stimulated research in areas with limited knowledge. There is a long tradition of research and information exchange in the Nordic countries on the subject. The NOrdisk KOrdineringsgruppe om BEskyttelseskläder som TEknisk Forebyggelsesmiddel (Nordic Coordination Group on Protective Clothing as a Technical Preventive Measure) was founded in 1984. NOKOBETEF is an independent society of professionals from the Nordic as well as other countries. NOKOBETEF has since its foundation organised symposia in Copenhagen (1984), Stockholm (1986), Gausdal, Norway (1989), Kittilä, Finland (1992), and Elsinor, Denmark (1997). The conferences have long had a good attendance from European countries and from overseas. The 6th Nokobetef conference was organised as the 1st European Conference on Protective Clothing to emphasize the European dimension. During the conference the European Society for Protective Clothing was founded. One of its first tasks will be to prepare for the 2nd conference to be held in Switzerland in 2003. The proceedings of this conference cover a broad spectrum of the subject protective clothing. Emphasis was given to the ergonomics aspects, which is in line with the present interest and priorities of the European standardisation bodies (CEN). A functional and comfortable use of protective clothing is a key element for a succesful implementation of this kind of preventive and protective measures in the workplaces. A total of 77 papers are presented in this book. They represent a qualified source of new, valuable and useful information for the advancement of the knowledge and the application of protective clothing.
Systematiska kunskapsöversikter; 10. Occupational Heat Exposure
(Arbets- och miljömedicin, Göteborgs universitet, 2017-11-11) Kuklane, Kalev; Gao, Chuansi
The present review covers a wide scope of occupational heat stress relatedissues. The problematics related to climate change have placed heat exposure on the agenda. As a result, the research on heat effects has increased in recent years and a considerable amount of new material has become available. The literature includes general and specific reviews that focus on various heatrelated aspects in detail. The aim of the current review is to compile the most relevant information, both past and present, that primarily covers knowledge on how one can carry out simple evaluations of heat stress in occupational settings. Very specialised information is described in full in the specific papers. The present review covers basic information on exposure to heat, descriptions of climatic factors and how they are measured. The review takes up human thermoregulation, heat exchange with the environment, and responses to heat. Several common hot environment evaluation methods along with heat assessment and management strategies are discussed. Sample industries are described.