Abstract

Many workers do not wear protective gloves, mainly because they reduce dexterity. To respond to this problem, it is important to know precisely the dexterity that these gloves provide. Evaluation tests exist, but few studies have revealed their differences in efficiency. This study is the first to attempt to identify the most useful existing dexterity tests to be integrated into a battery of tests for determining the significant differences between various models of gloves.

Twelve tests, including two standards, were evaluated. The results were combined to simulate batteries of two, three or four tests. The sensitivity and duration of execution of these batteries of tests were thus evaluated. The authors propose seven batteries offering a good sensitivity–duration of execution relationship, generally developed with tests with complementary characteristics. The sensitivity of the proposed batteries varies from 81% to 89%; the duration of the tests is from 7 to 15 minutes per glove. The choice of any of the combinations depends on the time available for the tests and the desired sensitivity.