What anti-vibration gloves can and cannot do against hand-arm vibration, how EN ISO 10819 works, and the GRANBERG EX 4330 as an example.
Anyone who runs a breaker, grinder, impact wrench or compactor for hours a day is exposed to hand-arm vibration. Anti-vibration gloves are often the first thing buyers reach for, but they are only one part of the answer. This guide explains the risk, what the EN ISO 10819 glove test actually measures, where gloves help and where they do not, and then looks at the GRANBERG EX 4330.
Regular, long exposure to vibrating tools can cause hand-arm vibration syndrome, often shortened to HAVS. Early signs include tingling and numbness in the fingers, loss of grip strength and fingers turning white in the cold. The damage to nerves and blood vessels can become permanent. Risk rises with the vibration level of the tool and the total time the hands are exposed each day.
Occupational health rules in Canada and the United States expect employers to assess and control vibration exposure. The main controls are choosing lower vibration tools, maintaining them, limiting trigger time, rotating tasks and keeping hands warm and dry. Gloves sit alongside those controls, not in place of them.
EN ISO 10819 measures how much vibration passes from a vibrating handle through the glove to the palm. The result is called transmissibility. It is measured in two frequency bands: a medium band from 25 to 200 Hz and a high band from 200 to 1250 Hz. To be called an anti-vibration glove under the standard, the glove must reduce vibration below set limits in both bands. The standard also requires the vibration reducing material to extend along the fingers, so gloves with a padded palm only cannot pass.
The test measures vibration at the palm. It does not measure what reaches the fingers, and it does not cover frequencies below 25 Hz, where many heavy, slow percussive tools do much of their shaking. It also does not tell you how much a glove lowers a worker's daily exposure figure, because that depends on the tool, grip force and time. Treat EN ISO 10819 as proof that a glove has a real vibration reducing layer, not as a calculation of protection.
Gloves help most with tools that vibrate at higher frequencies, such as grinders, sanders, polishers and some drills. They also help by keeping hands warm, since cold hands are more vulnerable to vibration damage, and by improving grip so the worker does not need to squeeze as hard. A tighter grip transmits more vibration into the hand.
They help least with low frequency, high energy tools such as large breakers, where the tool choice and exposure time matter far more. Bulky gloves can even make a worker grip harder, so fit and dexterity matter.
The GRANBERG EX 4330 is certified to EN ISO 10819:2013. It has a vibration reducing layer in the palm, a MicroSkin Shield® palm with a spandex and polyester back, and a hook-and-loop wrist closure for a secure fit. It is unlined for better touch sensitivity, and its record lists grip in dry and wet conditions with a tight fit.
Its EN 388 marking is 2221X: abrasion 2, blade cut 2, tear 2, puncture 1, and no impact test. That is general handling protection, so it is not a cut resistant or impact glove. Typical users include construction and road crews using breakers and compactors and mechanics using impact tools. Pair it with good tool selection and exposure limits. Gloves with back of hand impact guards are in the impact glove range, and job site guidance for heavy tool work is on the mining gloves page.
Not on their own. They reduce some vibration reaching the palm, but tool choice, maintenance and limiting exposure time are the main controls.
It measures how much vibration passes through the glove to the palm in a medium band of 25 to 200 Hz and a high band of 200 to 1250 Hz.
No. The test measures vibration at the palm. It also does not cover frequencies below 25 Hz.
Its EN 388 marking is 2221X, which is general handling protection. It is not sold as a cut resistant or impact glove.
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