• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• 제8권4호
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• pp.13-23
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• 2006

Grip strength provides a quick and objective index of the functional integrity of the upper extremities. It is widely used as an assessment measure in physical and rehabilitation medicine. In this study, maximum voluntary grip strength of 20 college students wearing 5 different gloves were measured using Jamar hand dynamometer. The results show that maximum voluntary grip strength was generally reduced when wearing gloves as compared to bare-handed. More specifically, the grip strength was highest when wearing PVC coated glove or bare-handed and getting lowered as wrist band, rubber, leather, and cotton glove in these order. Depending on the measuring posture of grip strength, shoulder height with arm extended forward was higher than the elbow was flexed 90 degree. Moreover, subjects' demographic factors and hand dimensions were not closely related to the grip strength. It is thus recommended that the proper glove should be provided to reduce the negative consequences including dropping a tool, poorer control of a tool. lower quality work, and increased muscle fatigue and in turn to increase the user safety and satisfaction.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• 제31권1호
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• pp.81-86
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• 2016

The WMSDs are known to occur more in upper extremity than lower extremity, and such a ratio is increasing each year. The motions or repeated work requiring excessive strength beyond worker's maximum grip strength were known as a major cause of the WMSDs in upper extremity. To prevent the WMSDs in upper extremity, research on the grip strength characteristics analysis of field workers that can be used as basic data for work design and manual tool design is needed. The purpose of this study is to identify various variables affecting grip strength and is to find out the impacts of grip strength on WMSDs. This research measured the grip strength of 327 field workers at Heavy Industries, and also conducted a questionnaire survey on individual characteristics and job characteristics. As a result of analyzing grip strength, the grip strength was statistically significant (P<0.1) according to the body surface area (BSA) of the research subjects. The differences between percentile groups of grip strength were statistically significant (P<0.1) according to pain levels of hand/wrist/finger and arm/elbow. The comparison results between the average grip strength of Korean adult males and the average grip strength of the survey-targeted heavy industry workers show that the average grip strength of the heavy industry workers was higher by 9.75 kg. This study analyzed relationship between grip strength and the pain levels of hand/wrist/finger and arm/elbow, and compared the findings in this study with those of existing preceding studies. Also, this research comparatively analyzed the grip strength of Korean adult males and survey-targeted heavy industry workers. The findings of this study can be used as useful data for ergonomic work design and manual tool design to prevent WMSDs at industrial worksites, given that almost no data on the grip strength of workers in the industrial sites are found in Korea.

• Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine
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• 제42권6호
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• pp.822-832
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• 2018

Objective To determine the socio-demographic, psychologic, hematologic, or other relevant factors associated with hand grip strength in Korean farmers. Methods A total of 528 healthy Korean farmers were enrolled. Hand grip strength was measured in both hands using a hydraulic dynamometer. Socio-demographic characteristics were assessed and anthropometric measurements were obtained. Psycho-cognitive measurements such as sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) and Go/No-Go test response time were conducted. In addition to physical measurements, serologic parameters including insulin-like growth factor 1 were measured. The factors associated with hand grip strength were analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis after adjusting for age, height, and weight. Results The mean hand grip strength was associated with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index total score (${\beta}=-0.12$, p=0.01), the Go/No-Go test response time (${\beta}=-0.18$, p=0.001), vitamin D (${\beta}=0.12$, p=0.02), and insulin-like growth factor 1 levels (${\beta}=0.1$, p=0.045). In female farmers, hand grip strength was only associated with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index total score (${\beta}=-0.32$, p<0.001). Conclusion The results of this study demonstrate that hand grip strength was associated with sleep quality and attention in Korean farmers.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제9권1호
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• pp.59-62
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• 2018

Background: Several grip strength tests are commonly used for detecting sincerity of effort. However, there is still no widely accepted standardized sincerity of effort test. Therefore, this study aimed to examine whether grip strength test in three wrist positions could distinguish between maximal and submaximal efforts. Methods: Twenty healthy individuals (10 men and 10 women) with a mean age of $26.7{\pm}3.92years$ participated in this study. All participants completed two test conditions (maximal and submaximal efforts) in three wrist positions (neutral, flexion, and extension) using both hands. Each participant exerted 100% effort in the maximal effort condition and 50% effort in the submaximal effort condition. The participants performed three repetitions of the grip strength test for each session. Results: The results showed that there is a significant main effect of the type of effort (p < 0.001), wrist position (p < 0.001), and hand (p = 0.028). There were also significant types of effort and wrist position interactions (p < 0.001) and effort and hand interactions (p < 0.028). The results also showed that grip strength was highest at the wrist in neutral position in both the maximal and the submaximal effort condition. Grip strength values of the three wrist positions in the maximal effort condition were noticeably greater than those in the submaximal effort condition. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that grip strength test in three wrist positions can differentiate a maximal effort from a submaximal effort. Thus, this test could potentially be used to detect sincerity of effort in clinical setting.

• International Journal of Contents
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• 제12권1호
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• pp.44-48
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• 2016

Driver fatigue is a major cause of fatal road accidents and has significant implications in road safety. In recent years, researchers have investigated steering wheel grip force as an alternative method to detect driver fatigue noninvasively and in real time. In this study, a fatigue detection system was developed by monitoring the grip force and changes in the grip force were measured while participants' engaged in an interactive simulated driving task. The study also measured the participants' subjective sleepiness to ensure the validity of measuring grip force. The results indicated that while participants engaged in a driving task, steering wheel grip force decreased and subjective sleepiness increased concurrently over time. The possible applications of the driver fatigue detection system by steering wheel grip force and future guidelines are discussed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 한국정밀공학회 2008년도 추계학술대회 논문집
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• pp.167-168
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• 2008

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• 제10권3호
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• pp.81-95
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• 1995

Now, safety assurance in construction sites should be accomplished by its own organization rather than control of the code or government. It is believed that the safety assurance can be considerably improved by a lecture or an education using the existing theories or literatures up to now, but it is thought that fundamental safety assurance we not able to be accomplished without developing safety devices '||'&'||' equipment or taking fundamental measures, based on the result analyzed from workers behaviors. There are various behaviors of the workers showed in construction site, but only tests for hammerusing works such as form, re-bar, stone workers directly related to the grip strength are mainly performed, investigated and measured here for the study. The above works are similar to power grip, 7th picture on seven items which are categorized for hand grip types(Ammermin 1956 ; Jones ; Kobrick 1958). Measurements of grip strength are commonly taken in anthropometric surveys. They are easy to administer but unfortunately it is rather dubious whether they yield any data that are of interest to the engineer. Very fewer controls of tools are grasped and squeesed studies showed very little overall correlation between grip strength and other measures of bodily strength (Laubach, Kromer, and Thordsen 1972), but hammer-using work which is practically progressed in construction site are mainly influenced with grip strength. According to the investigation on work measurement, it is shown that 77% of form worker are using hammer to be related to grip strength. In this study, it is particularly noticed that wearing safety gloves in construction site is required for workers safety but 20% difference between grip strength with safety gloves and without ones are commonly neglected in the site(Fig. 1). Nevertheless, safety operation with consideration of the above 20% difference is not considered in the construction site. Factors of age, kinds of work, working time, with or without safety gloves are in vestigated '||'&'||' collected at the sites for this study. Test, not at each working hour but at 14 : 00 when the almost all of the workers think the most tired, resulting from the questionaires, also when it is shown on the research report has been performed and compared for main kinds of works : form '||'&'||' re-bar work. Tests were performed with both left SE rightand of the workers simultaneously in construction site using Rand Dynamometer(Model 78010, Lafayette Instrument Co., Indiana, U.S.A) by reading grip strength on the gauge while they are pulling, and then by interviewing on their ages, works, experiences and etc., directly. The above tests have been performed for the dates of 15th march-26th May '95 with consideration of site condition. And even if various factors of ambient temperature on the testing date, working condition, individual worker's habit and worker's condition of the previous ate are concerned with the study. Those are considered as constants in this study. Samples are formwork 53, rebar 62, electrician 5, plumber 4, welding 1 from D construction Co., Ltd, ; formwork 12, re-bar 5, electrician 2, from S construction Co., Ltd, , formwork 78, re-bar 18, plumber 31, electrician 13, labor 48, plumber 31, plasterer 15, concrete placer 6, water proof worker 3, maisony 5 from B construction Co., Ltd. As In the previously mentioned, main aspect to be investigated in this study will be from '||'&'||' re-bar work because grip strength will be directly applied to these two kinds of works ; form '||'&'||' re-bar work, eventhough there are total 405 samples taken. It is thought that a frequency of accident occurrence will be mainly two work postures "looking up '||'&'||' looking down" to be mainly sorted, but this factor is not clarified in this study because It will be needed a lot of work more. Tests has been done at possible large scale of horizontally work-extended sites within one hour in order to prevent or decrease errors '||'&'||' discrepancies from time lag of the test. Additionally, the statistical package computer program SPSS PC＋has been used for the study.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• 제12권4호
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• pp.209-213
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• 1997

Manual lifting techniques are commonly defined in terms of the postures adopted at the start of the lift. Quantitative definition is problematic, however, because the absolute joint angles adopted to lift an object are influenced by task parameters, such as the initial height of the load. The main objective of this study is to investigate the grip strength of the both hands at the initial lifting points. The survey is conducted by measuring the compression force, anthropometric data and grip strength at the lifting postures for the subjects(n=50) who is assigned to their job as usual. The experiment is peformed at the four lifting postures which involving the combination of two horizontal factors(H1 : 35 cm, H2 : 55 cm) and two vertical factors(V1 : 20~80 cm, V2 : 47~102 cm). The analysis result of lifting posture indicated that each H1-V1, H2-V1 combinations are about 60$^{\circ}$ and each H1-V2, H2-V2 combinations are about $30^{\circ}$. There are significant differences on grip strength between $60^{\circ}$ and $30^{\circ}$ stooped posture. The results of this study can be provided a method defining lifting postures at the minimum grip strength. Also, it is eliminated a hazard of the injuries which are cumulative trauma disorders(CTDs) and back pain, increased a productivity and improved a welfare of workers.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• 제11권3호
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• pp.27-32
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• 2009

Human physical activity to lead daily life is performed by a variety of muscular activity strategies. These strategies can be influenced by characteristics, difficulty and muscle fatigue of work. Therefore this study examines muscular strengths (grip and back strength) of workers engaged in electronics industry in Korea, compares them to mean value of muscular strength by sex and age, accumulates related data and then aims to develop improvement methods of working environment and prevention/management program.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.27-33
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate influence of wrist position on the electromyographic(EMG) activities of the flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) and extensor digitorum (ED) during drilling and pinch grip. Eighteen healthy subjects had been recruited and each subject performed two tasks (drilling and pinch grip) at three different wrist positions ($30^{\circ}$ flexion, neutral, $30^{\circ}$ extension). The EMG amplitude of each muscle was normalized to the amplitude in the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). Repeated one-way ANOVA was used to compare the differences of EMG across wrist positions. The FDS EMG activity in both drilling and pinch grip was lowest at $30^{\circ}$ wrist extension and the highest at $30^{\circ}$ wrist flexion. The ED EMG activity was lowest when the wrist was neutral in both tasks. From the results of this study, we can conclude that the desirable wrist positions for drilling and pinch grip tasks are slightly extended or neutral position. Therefore, flexed wrist position should be avoided to reduce the excessive work load on the finger muscles during the tasks.