Performing a risk assessment is the first step to understanding what kind of safety gloves you&#;ll need.
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Safety gloves are an integral part of the personal protective equipment (PPE) that protects workers from injuries across various industries. These gloves are a kind of second skin that allows them to handle hazardous materials, chemicals, and tools without sacrificing the dexterity they need to perform their work skillfully.
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Like all other safety equipment, however, gloves are not a generic product. For workers to be safe, they must be equipped with the right type of glove for the job they will be performing and the specific hazards they might encounter.
There are a number of factors that go into selecting the right safety glove. But arguably the most important is the material that the glove is made from and the protection that material provides.
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This article will go over 12 common types of safety glove to help you find the one that will meet your needs.
Adequate hand protection is not optional. Employers have a duty to provide their workers with all the PPE required to carry out their jobs safely. And this, of course, includes stocking every type of glove that is needed to protect every employee&#;s hands.
OSHA Standard .38 states:
These gloves act as a thin, breathable layer between the worker&#;s skin and the tools and materials they&#;re handling. Fabric gloves provide minimal protection against puncture hazards, jagged materials, open flames, and hot surfaces. However, they&#;re good for keeping hands clean and can prevent minor scrapes and abrasions.
Fabric gloves are sometimes used as liners worn inside larger safety gloves to provide additional warmth.
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These are general-purpose gloves that offer a higher level of puncture and cut resistance, protection from the alkalinity of concrete products, and improved chemical resistance compared to standard fabric gloves.
The coatings can be made from a variety of materials, including latex, nitrile, polyurethane, and PVC. The right coating for a given job can be determined by conducting a risk assessment.
Although this style of glove is widely used, some coatings are known to become less flexible in colder work temperatures. They also provide less insulation than uncoated gloves.
Moreover, while coated fabric gloves offer some chemical resistance, they are not a substitute for a dedicated chemical glove when one is needed.
Gloves made of latex and nitrile are widely used in laboratories and healthcare settings and protect against:
These gloves are form-fitting (when the correct size is worn), allowing for greater dexterity to manipulate small items and do work that requires precision. Latex and nitrile gloves, however, do not provide adequate protection against punctures or sharp and abrasive surfaces.
Leather gloves offer good grip, spark resistance, and protection against sharp or abrasive surfaces. They also protect the wearer from moderate levels of heat, such as the heat produced from welding or the friction from a rope sliding across the palms.
Leather gloves are highly durable when properly taken care of, but can harden or shrivel when exposed to excess heat. They can also dry out hands when they&#;re not worn with a liner.
(Learn more about Cut-Resistant Leather Gloves)
Aluminized gloves are built for heat resistance. They are suitable for welding operations, furnace and foundry work, and in laboratories that use high-heat ovens. Their insulating and reflective properties can provide heat protection up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Kevlar is a heat-resistant para-aramid synthetic fiber with a molecular structure of many inter-chain bonds that gives it its strength. This material has had a considerable impact on industrial hand protection, since it allows for the creation of lightweight and durable gloves with remarkable resistance to cuts and abrasions.
Kevlar is also used to make cut-resistant liners to support a variety of other glove styles.
These gloves are dedicated specifically to preventing a puncture to the hands. These can be woven Kevlar gloves or gloves which have been manufactured to emulate fish skin. The latter uses a scale- or flake-like structure to deflect penetration from needles, shards, and other puncture hazards.
Vibrations may seem harmless, but prolonged exposure to them can cause harm. Safety professionals are becoming more and more aware of hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) and the need to protect workers from it.
Some of that protection comes in the form of personal protective equipment. Specifically, gloves that absorb impact and reduce the hand&#;s exposure to vibrations.
Vibration-resistant gloves are used in fabrication work, where workers might make frequent use of grinders over the course of a shift. They are also prevalent in the construction and automotive industries, where jackhammers and other pneumatic tools might be used for extended periods of time.
Check out our free whitepaper on Redefining Hand Protection!
Chemical absorption through the skin can lead to serious immediate or long-term health effects. Referring to a product&#;s safety data sheet (SDS) will help you identify the proper level of protection required to keep workers safe while handling chemical products.
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Below are a few examples of chemical- or liquid-resistant glove materials and their various applications.
These are typically used when workers will be in extended contact with a chemical substance. They also offer resistance to water and steam permeation.
Butyl rubber is also used for protection against materials such as:
Latex and rubber gloves are intended for incidental contact situations. They are suitable for biological hazards and water-based liquids.
Typically used in extended contact situations with materials such as:
Nitrile rubber is used to manufacture versatile, general-use gloves and can be suitable for incidental contact (such as disposable exam gloves). Thicker nitrile gloves are used in situations where extended contact is intended.
Nitrile gloves can protect the wearer from:
Selecting the right glove for the job begins with an assessment of the specific risks and hazards the user is likely to encounter. This includes those that may appear minor &#; even a scrape or a cut could lead to an infection requiring medical intervention and days away from work.
Further considerations include:
Ready to learn more? Check out our free webinar on How to Use Assessment & Wear Tests for Validating Your Glove Choice!
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In construction, safety equipment is essential. There is plenty of construction personal protective equipment (PPE) that workers wear on-site, like hard hats, eye protection and safety gloves. Construction safety gloves are a key component in preventing hand injuries. More than 1 million workers go to the hospital with hand injuries annually, and 70% of those injured weren&#;t wearing gloves.
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It&#;s important to know the ins and outs of the gloves your construction employees use every day. We&#;re here to help you determine what type to choose, how to take care of them and when to get new ones.
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Choosing a pair of construction safety gloves is all about finding a pair that will protect the hands and forearms. Construction workers handle different types of materials, from concrete to chemicals. The key to choosing the most protective gloves is considering glove features that will protect workers best as they do their specific job. Some of the glove features you should keep in mind include:
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Proper size is also essential when shopping for safety gloves. Construction workers need well-fitting, comfortable gloves that are tight around the fingers to avoid extra glove material getting in the way. But they should also have a full range of motion in their fingers and wrists to handle the manual tasks.
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Another thing to keep in mind is grip. Safety gloves must be able to handle the variety of tools and rough materials that your employees work with to avoid accidentally dropping them and causing a possibly dangerous situation. Having a good grip on the palm of the gloves is especially essential if your workers often climb ladders.
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While there are a few different types of safety glove materials to choose from, synthetic is commonly used in construction. Properly taking care of gloves is essential for making them last as long as possible while keeping your workers&#; hands and forearms safe while they work.
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Hand-washing safety gloves is probably the most straightforward way to take care of them. This simply means scrubbing them inside and out with soap before hanging them to dry. Washing safety gloves in the washing machine can make a difference in getting out any stubborn dirt or debris; however, they should never be put in the dryer, as they may shrink.
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While all construction safety gloves will get scuffed up over time, it&#;s important to know when it&#;s time to replace them. Your workers should inspect their gloves on a regular basis to look for any tears. If there are any places in the material that leave the skin vulnerable, it&#;s time to replace them.
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Construction safety gloves are just one way to keep your work site safe. Our team at Work-Fit offers safety training programs with your workers&#; well-being in mind. Contact our team today for more information about our services and the many ways we can help.
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