The impact of double gloves on hands temperature and blood volume changes at low temperature: A Case Study

A young, healthy man wore the selected protective clothing and double gloves, which met the requirements of EN 511 standard. The selected manual tasks (e.g., Valpar Component Work Samples 1 - VCWS 1 Small Tools (Mechanical) (Bases of Virginia, LLC, USA)) were performed in a climatic chamber at low temperature (-1 degrees Celsius; 30.2 degrees Fahrenheit).Before entering and after exiting the chamber, changes in finger temperature and blood volume were determined using an infrared thermographic camera and plethysmograph. A decrease in both finger and hand temperature was observed after exposure to cold. In conclusion, the impact of low environment temperature (1h exposure) on the reduction of finger and hand skin temperature was significant. Even properly selected protective gloves, allowing for simultaneous performance of manual tasks, did not prevent the decline in hand and finger temperature. The low environment temperature (1h exposure) has a negative effect on hand and finger skin temperature, despite the use of appropriately selected protective gloves.