Construction Solutions - Easy-Hold Glove for Mud Pans



Solution: Easy-Hold Glove for Mud Pans
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	Description:	A mud pan full of drywall compound can weigh more than fve pounds. Continuously gripping the pan can put a lot of stress on your hand, wrist, and forearm. If the mud pan is too wide for your hand, you have to squeeze its sides to hold it, putting more strain on your forearm muscles. The smooth sides and bottom on a mud pan make it hard to grip with bare hands. Because of its weight, size, and smoothness, you must use a lot of hand force to hold the pan. All these types of strain can tire your hand, wrist, arm, and forearm. If you do drywall work often and for long periods of time, the strain may lead to serious injuries. The three photos below offer an example of the problem, as well as an illustration of the solution and its use: More Detail Use an easy-hold glove attached to the mud pan, which you can make yourself. The glove cuts down on the hand strength required to grip the pan. With the glove, all you need to do is balance the pan. Less Detail
	Risks Addressed:	Hazards or injuries to the hand, wrist and forearm arising from continous gripping of mud pans containing drywall compound.
	How Risks are Reduced:	The glove is bolted to the pan with a swivel mount. A bolt is welded to the bottom of the pan, and held by a nut inside the glove. This holds the pan in place. You never have to squeeze the pan. Because of the swivel mount, you can spin the pan in your hand as needed. The glove fts snugly on your hand. A Velcro® strap holds it in place. The glove spreads the weight of the pan over your whole hand. You need only to open your hand wide to balance the pan. The pan swivels easily. Quality of Evidence Manufacturers, vendors, or worksites have reported a risk reduction. Reducing the requirement for a continuous grip on a slippery pan will reduce hand fatigue and strain.
	Effects on Productivity:	Finishers who used the easy-hold glove liked it and said it was great for long periods of coating drywall. They said that it cut down on their long-term fatigue and pain. Researchers found that wearing the glove led to a 25% reduction in grip force needed to hold the pan. There are some drawbacks. Finishers said that it takes time to put the glove on and take it off. Other tasks, such as putting up tape, cannot be done while wearing the glove. Quality of Evidence Manufacturers or vendors have reported an increase in productivity. A measured 25% reduction in grip force, and self reported improvements in productivity are convincing.
	Return on Investment:	No specific calculation ROI information exists for this particular solution, however, there are some general approaches that might be useful for a “Return On Investment” analysis. For a general discussion of these approaches, visit our “Return on Investment Calculation” page.
	Availability:	Approximate Cost If you make your own easy-hold glove (see section below), the cost of materials is low. You can begin with a fingerless bicycle glove, available for $5-20. Where To Get It To make your own: Use a tight-ftting glove with a stiff palm, such as a fingerless bicycle glove. Make sure the glove is not so tight that it affects blood circulation in your hand. But if the glove is too loose, you will end up gripping the mud pan tighter. A glove without fingers lets you use your own fingers more easily. However, it also makes the glove a little harder to take off, because the finger holes can get caught on your knuckles. Fix the head of a small bolt to the bottom of the mud pan. You can weld the bolt or "glue” it using a metal-to-metal adhesive. Place a large (up to two-inch) washer on the bolt. Punch the bolt through the palm of the glove. Inside the glove, place another large washer over the bolt that sticks through. Tighten a lock nut over the bolt inside the glove. Cut off any part of the bolt that sticks above the nut and sand the bolt smooth. If the bolt still presses on the palm of your hand inside the glove, cover it with duct tape or another material. Equipment like that described here may be available from local retailers or rental companies.
	Additional Considerations:
	Sources:	Albers, James T., and Estill, Cheryl F. Simple Solutions: Ergonomics for Construction Workers. DHHS (NIOSH) Publications. March 2007. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh. To view the Table of Contents for the Simple Solutions Document, please visit: http://www.cpwr.com/simple.html. Please send requests for copies of this publication to cdcinfo@cdc.gov, referencing document number 2007-122.