How Do Anti-Vibration Gloves Work To Protect You?

The consistent and constant vibration of power tools can eventually adversely affect your physical health as your hands experience fatigue and a loss of grip control. This gravely increases the chances of making dangerous mistakes and potentially causing injury to yourself or someone else. The solution to this issue is anti-vibration safety gloves, but how do anti-vibration gloves work to protect you and counteract the effects of vibration? Allow us to explain.

What Separates Them From Normal Gloves?

Anti-vibration gloves work to protect you by dampening and absorbing the vibrations of power tools that would otherwise affect a worker’s hands and arms and potentially cause lasting harm. Some glove models use a urethane air bladder to create a protective barrier between the power tool and the palm. The air bladder absorbs the vibration before they reach you. If the glove doesn’t feature this air bladder, it’s likely instead made of resilient gel, foam, or a rubber-like material that accomplishes the same effect.

Potential Effects of Vibrations

Many people may not realize the importance of anti-vibration gloves because they’re unaware of the effects of vibrations. The most common of these is hand-arm vibration syndrome, also known as “white finger.” This condition is the result of the vibrations damaging blood vessels within the hand. The signature “whiteness” arises because the fingers don’t get enough blood. Symptoms include tingling and numbness. This decreases a person’s dexterity and grip control as their fingers feel sluggish and far less responsive. Another risk is the development of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, a painful condition where the median nerve becomes pinched or compressed. Since this nerve controls sensation and movement within your thumb and first three fingers, this causes your hand to experience numbness, tingling, weakness, and pain.

Examples of Needing Anti-Vibration Gloves

A few industries that require anti-vibration gloves on hand include construction or machining because they typically require prolonged use of hand tools like jackhammers, power drills, sanders, impact wrenches, and more. Any job that requires you to use tools and equipment for prolonged periods or multiple times throughout the day should equip you with anti-vibration gloves. The gloves will ensure you don’t lose control of your tools and cause worse injuries.