White gloves

[Matteo_IT]

Hello everybody,

I have a question: watching different videos I was surprised thath all people in uniform both men and women wear white cotton gloves during their service... train drivers, bus conductors, train crew and generally every person that works!

Why this?

Thanks.

[bill937ca]

Police also.

[nscalestation]

Hello everybody,

I have a question: watching different videos I was surprised thath all people in uniform both men and women wear white cotton gloves during their service... train drivers, bus conductors, train crew and generally every person that works!

Why this?

Thanks.

Add cab drivers to that list.  Also, politicians.  Seems there is always an election of some kind going on over there and on this last visit on a couple of occasions we saw a candidate standing on the back of a truck speaking and they were wearing white gloves.  I'm told that for the politicians the white gloves are to signify to the voters "my hands are clean, I am not a crook".  

[cteno4]

Add cab drivers to that list.  Also, politicians.  Seems there is always an election of some kind going on over there and on this last visit on a couple of occasions we saw a candidate standing on the back of a truck speaking and they were wearing white gloves.  I'm told that for the politicians the white gloves are to signify to the voters "my hands are clean, I am not a crook".  

 

Or to cover up the greased palms...

 

Jeff

[westfalen]

Garbage men, labourers digging roadside ditches and a guy driving the truck that empties out your septic tank, I've seen them all.

[Ochanomizu]

Hello Matteo_IT,

 

Please allow me to provide some answer to your question regarding white gloves.

 

You will find that many workers, particularly drivers, wear white gloves for high visibility.  You will remember that "Point and Say" is a big feature in transportation for safety reasons.  The white gloves improve visibility in this regard.

 

White gloves are also considered clean.   You will find many other workers using them, such as make-up artists, jewellers, retailers specialising in delicate objects, etc.

 

Politicians wear white gloves while campaigning as a sign of being clean and honest.

 

The police force began wearing white gloves when the Beatles first toured Japan in the 1960's.

 

It all sounds strange, doesn't it?  Here's an interesting little article from the Japan Times on the subject:

 

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/03/19/reference/white-gloves/#.UgsVNfN-9pg

[Matteo_IT]

Many thanks Ochanomizu,

Today I'll try to wear mee too white gloves on my train... but I bet they'll became black in less than 5 minuts :) !

[bronzeonion]

There are two different types, the 'work gloves' you can buy dirt cheap that seems to be worn by any worker doing physical work including on the railway and the finer white ones worn by train drivers/police/bus drivers etc.

 

I bought myself a load of the 'work gloves' to use at the heritage railway I volunteer at because the gloves they sell here in the UK are normally too big for my hands so you end up taking them off to do fiddly jobs! It amazes me watching videos on Youtube of shunting operations in Japan seeing all the shunters with those gloves and how they are so clean, I wore a pair of the white work gloves when I did some shunting and after only a few times coupling,uncoupling and climbing up and down from the locomotive the palms were black! The white colour is definitely very good for visibility and is very helpful because shunting movements are directed by signals rather than flags in the UK.

[westfalen]

I even have a cat with white gloves.

 

[cteno4]

I even have a cat with white gloves.

 

 

[img=http://www.jnsforum.com/community/public/style_images/Hikari_Rail_Star/attachicon.gif] IMG_1166.JPG

 

I bet you have some gouges getting those on and off him! Does he wear them while catching mice?

 

Jeff

[Ochanomizu]

I even have a cat with white gloves.

 

 

IMG_1166.JPG

 

Hello Mr Westfalen,

 

So sorry, but that is not a cat with white gloves.  It is a cat with a black suit.

[westfalen]

I bet you have some gouges getting those on and off him! Does he wear them while catching mice? Jeff

She's too well fed to worry about mice.

[railsquid]

There are two different types, the 'work gloves' you can buy dirt cheap that seems to be worn by any worker doing physical work including on the railway and the finer white ones worn by train drivers/police/bus drivers etc.

 

Dirt cheap is correct - they're basically throw-away items. I don't use them myself (they tend to get in the way when using a keyboard, which is what I do most of the day), but do have a few packs in the emergency kit as you never know when they might come in handy.

[Matteo_IT]

Ok... I've understand!

In Italy gloves aren'used...

I have a friend that drives city busses: she drives with light leather gloves to grip better the steering wheel and also because she loves wear leather gloves but generally in italian uniforms gloves are not much used...

[bikkuri bahn]

I took this picture on Saturday of a driver on the Seibu Shinjuku Line- he is wearing "gunte" which are knit cotton gloves- a bit more workmanlike than the fine cotton ones.  These are typically sold by the dozen or more per pack (like socks at the local discount store) and are interchangeable left or right handed- they allow more fine manipulation than heavy leather gloves but are more sturdy than the thin cotton ones.

Edited August 20, 2013 by bikkuri bahn

[bronzeonion]

I've never seen a passenger EMU driver wear 'gunte' I have always known gunte to be used by locomotive shunters or sometimes freight train drivers

[3railgreg]

Between white gloves and masks, I would think it would also reduce sickness a great deal. I work in an office enviroment, and I try to not touch anything that may have lots of hands on it (ie door handles, microwaves, etc.) . I type on a keyboard like railsquid, so they would not work well there. They do look very profesional, and from what I have seen, they add to the neatness of the uniforms worn by train and bus drivers in Japan.

[westfalen]

Between white gloves and masks, I would think it would also reduce sickness a great deal. I work in an office enviroment, and I try to not touch anything that may have lots of hands on it (ie door handles, microwaves, etc.) . I type on a keyboard like railsquid, so they would not work well there. They do look very profesional, and from what I have seen, they add to the neatness of the uniforms worn by train and bus drivers in Japan.

Here in Brisbane train drivers are issued with packs of wet wipes to wipe down the controls if we want when we take over a train, perhaps I should suggest they give us white gloves instead.

[cteno4]

Sounds good, better than wet wipes which won't do much...

 

Jeff

[bikkuri bahn]

This Sunday on a 711 series all-stops service between Otaru and Asahikawa (Hakodate Main Line).  This driver is wearing the standard cotton gloves.

[Matteo_IT]

Hello...

Here it's a pic of my friend while she is driving...

As I told, usually she drives wearing lightweight black leather gloves, as steering wheels aren't quite clean, black colour is the best one...

 

 

But as I told her about this discussion, she worn a white pair, just to take the pic, in honor to Japan collegues...

Edited October 31, 2013 by Matteo_IT

[Ochanomizu]

Hello Matteo_IT,

 

Very good.  Please show your friend a typical Japanese "Point and Say" video.  I wonder, will she adopt such a quality assurance principle?

 

Edit: include example:

 

 

Edited October 31, 2013 by Ochanomizu