Get A Grip!

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Last weekend, I was helping someone move and got to experience firsthand the importance of having great grip. We all know the obvious importance of grip when handling sharp objects, but I really want to concentrate on the grip as it relates to fatigue, so bear with me as I try and get a different "handle" on this.

When holding, moving or lifting heavy objects our arms and hands work by applying lateral and vertical force. For the most part, we are countering the natural force of gravity by applying upward force with our back and lateral force with our arms and hands. The heavier the object the more force we need to apply.

Now picture someone carrying a box and holding it from the sides. With every step, gravity weighs down on the box and fatigue sets in as the carrier must apply more and more force to prevent the box from slipping. Bare dry hands on a cardboard box - I quickly learned - offers little grip.
And I learned this the hard way because there were 75 steps from the elevator to the apartment. The weaker the grip - the greater the risk of dropping the box. And...if you manage to hold on, you end up exhausted. That extra lateral force by the arms needed to stop slippage will drain you. Now imagine, for a moment, how fatigue in a workplace with heavy parts or equipment can become a dangerous combination. When we're exhausted, that's when accidents happen.

After struggling with my second box, I ran to the car and donned a pair of our newest G-Tek® NeoFoam® coated gloves. Wow...it was so much easier and less tiring. But the highlight of my experience was watching a delivery driver with leather gloves drop an 80-pound box at around step number 70. I told him, "Dude, try these gloves on." He was amazed. "So much grip!" he shouted. "These would make my life so much easier." I felt sorry for him and gave him my new pair of G-Tek® NeoFoam® gloves and of course got his boss's coordinates. What can I say? I'm still a much better marketer than a mover!

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