The Influence Of Hand Tool Design On Hand Grip Strength: A Review

• Main Authors: Halim, Isa, Radin Umar, Radin Zaid, Syed Mohamed, Muhammad Syafiq, Ahmad, Nadiah, Padmanathan, Vinothini, Saptari, Adi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Penerbit UTHM 2019
• Online Access: http://eprints.utem.edu.my/id/eprint/24797/2/IJIE%20HAND%20TOOLS_PUBLISHED.PDF; http://eprints.utem.edu.my/id/eprint/24797/; https://publisher.uthm.edu.my/ojs/index.php/ijie/article/view/3802/3059

Hand is made up of bones, tendons, ligaments, nerves and blood vessels that can be easily debilitated and injured if the hand tool is not design ergonomically. Recently researchers have examined the effects of individual, environmental and occupational factors on hand grip strength. However, information on the influence of hand tool design on hand grip strength is still lacking. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of factors influencing hand grip strength focusing more towards hand tool design factors. The authors searched the journal articles, book and guidelines from the online databases of Google Scholar, ScienceDirect and Pubmed. Fourteen factors includes handle diameter, handle length, handle orientation, handle shape, handle material, handle flange, handle inter distance/grip span, grip method, tool weight, tool center of gravity, tool sharpness, trigger type and size, spring stiffness as well as vibration exposure were found to have significant effect on the hand grip strength. This review identified that the handle diameter is the most significant factor for hand grip strength.