Effects of gloves and pulling task on achievable downward pull forces on a rung

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Hum Factors
• Personal Author:
  Beschorner, Kurt E. ; Slota, Gregory P. ; Pliner, Erika M. ; Spaho, Egli ; Seo, Na Jin
• Description:
  Objective:
  
  This study examined the impacts of pulling task (breakaway and pull-down tasks at different postures), glove use, and their interaction on achievable downward pull forces from a ladder rung.
  
  Background:
  
  Posture, glove use and the type of pulling task are known to impact the achievable forces. However, a gap in the literature exists regarding how these factors affect achievable downward pulling forces, which are relevant to recovery from a perturbation during ladder climbing.
  
  Methods:
  
  Forty subjects completed four downward pulling tasks (breakaway force; pull force at maximum height, shoulder height and a middle height), using three glove conditions with varying coefficient of friction (COF) levels (cotton glove, low COF; bare hand, moderate COF; and latex-coated glove, high COF) with their dominant and non-dominant hand. The outcome variable was the maximum force normalized to body weight.
  
  Results:
  
  The highest forces were observed for highest hand postures (breakaway and maximum height). Increased COF led to higher forces and had a larger effect on breakaway force than the other tasks. The dominant hand was associated with higher forces than the non-dominant hand. Male subjects generated greater forces than female subjects, particularly for higher hand positions.
  
  Conclusion:
  
  This study suggests that higher hand position on the ladder, while avoiding low-friction gloves, may be effective for improving recovery from ladder perturbations.
  
  Application:
  
  This study may guide preferred climbing strategies (particularly those that lead to a higher hand position) for improving recovery from a perturbation during ladder climbing.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Adult Article Biomechanical Phenomena Biomechanics Falls Female Friction Gloves, Protective Hand Hand Forces Humans Ladder Climbing Male Motor Activity Posture Pull Strength

  More +
• Source:
  Hum Factors. 60(2):191-200
• Pubmed ID:
  29161154
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC8829586
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  R21 OH010038/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  60
• Issue:
  2
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:f388ac60e6ff743705b953dd9a82ebd38dc42e70a040d62da47d9af434095983
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/114371/cdc_114371_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 424.46 KB ]