The right to use the ErgoGloves EU trademark for gloves with high ergonomic properties will be granted to the manufacturers of such gloves, subject to a positive outcome of laboratory tests using assessment criteria developed in CIOP-PIB.
The mark was established as part of the project: “Studies of the ergonomic properties of protective gloves using surface electromyography (EMG)”. The project was carried out in the scope of the third stage of the Polish National Programme “Improvement of safety and working conditions”, funded in 2014-2016 in the area of research and development work by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education /National Centre for Research and Development (Programme coordinator: CIOP-PIB). The mark was registered by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) on 30 September 2016 under the number 015430135.
It must be underlined that the current requirements provided for in standards for protective gloves concerning assessment of compliance with Directive 89/686/EEC contain a basic reference to the evaluation of ergonomic properties. They do not reflect fully the characteristics of gloves as regards their ergonomic properties expected in the case of manual work, for which a higher level of such properties is desirable. Alongside the requirements arising from the harmonised standards of the Directive, the criteria developed by CIOP-PIB additionally take into account the factors relevant from the point of view of ergonomics of personal protective equipment:
- biomechanical – the impact of a product on the upper limb taking EMG studies into account;
- sensory – the impact of the product on the human sense of touch;
- anthropometric – the product fit to the anatomical dimensions of the hand;
- thermal – exchange of heat and moisture between the hand and the environment;
- psychological – the impact of the product on the user’s psyche.
Quantification of the factors is obtained through testing based on CIOP-PIB’s own methods and the determination of:
- indicator of the degree of manual dexterity limitations and total dexterity limitation index based on EMG measurements,
- the bending modulus of the material,
- the internal width and length of glove and minimum, average and maximum allowances in the fingers,
- microclimate inside the glove,
- subjectively perceived comfort of work while wearing the glove.
For more information contact: Emilia Irzmańska (emirz@ciop.lodz.pl), Agnieszka Stefko (agste@ciop.lodz.pl) or Paulina Wójcik (pawoj@ciop.lodz.pl).
