As personal protection equipment (PPE), a pair of hand protection gloves should fit the user and suit the work.
Take, for example, leather safety gloves which have been part of labour-intensive and industrial jobs for a long time. Being puncture and cut-resistant, it’s also one of the few materials that resist moisture and heat. That is why they are perfectly suitable as construction work gloves and other occupations.
Similarly, nitrile safety gloves provide more strength and puncture resistance. That is why they remain a preferred choice in industries dealing with grease, oils, bio-hazards, and chemicals. Both latex and nitrile are best suited for medical practices and in the work of auto mechanics, among others.
Rubber safety gloves offer tactile sensitivity, good dexterity and suitable resistance against changes caused by exposure to acids, alkalis, salts and ketones. This makes them a preferred safety accessory in the construction, chemical, oil and gas industries.
On the other hand, metal mesh safety gloves, made of interlocked stainless steel mesh, offer advanced cut and puncture protection due to their superior strength.
Cut-resistant safety gloves, which include engineered, synthetic fibres such as Kevlarand Dyneema, offer 5-10 times the cut protection of leather. In addition, Kevlar extends better thermal protection against heat and cold, while Dyneema is extremely abrasion-resistant. Kevlar offers a high tensile strength that is five times stronger than steel. Dyneema fibres are engineered to be 10-15 times stronger than steel by weight, which makes them suitable for metal fabrication, electronics and the automotive industry.
Method for Finding Well-Fit Hand Protection Gloves
Hand Circumference Sizing Method
Measure the circumference of the hand around the palm area with fingers together and keep the hand relaxed. This measurement is in inches. It is closest to the actual safety glove size.
For example, a 6-inch is equal to a size 6 glove. Sizes are, however, likely to vary, taking into account various manufacturers as well as styles. Except when it is specifically mentioned, gloves are generally sized according to men’s hands.
To gain an easy size comparison, check the list below:
Numerical size: 6-7, 7-8, 8-9, 9-10, 11
General size: XS, S, M, L, XL
Determining the Correct Length of Hand Protection Gloves
A simple technique to take stock of the correct length of the hand protection gloves is to measure from the tip of the middle finger up to where the cuff edge needs to be on the wrist or arm. Choose the right cuff and length based on this.
Also, checking the material, size, durability, and other parameters remains crucial before zeroing in on an ideal pair of hand protection gloves.
Identify the Application of Hand Protection Gloves, Assess the Hazard
Every working environment introduces its own set of hazards. For instance, in the oil and gas industry, workers are at risk of impact-related injuries, cuts on the fingers, knuckles or back of the hand as they are routinely required to handle sharp and abrasive objects, which could be oily and wet.
Similarly, the real estate and construction sector introduces the risk of work-related fatigue and involves maneuvering some heavy-duty machinery and hand-operated power tools. At times, exposure to certain chemicals could lead to irritation of the skin or eyes.
Take Stock of Risk Levels and Manual Dexterity expected of Safety Gloves
Primarily, there could be possibly three main hazards that need to be analyzed in any work environment: sharp objects, which could be dangerous equipment or broken glass, extreme temperatures, or exposure to hazardous chemical substances. At the same time, cut-related injuries could also be classified into three categories per severity: incisions, lacerations, and abrasions.
Similarly, the grip and fit of hand protection gloves remain equally important as material, density, and cut-level performance. For example, while thicker safety gloves are known to offer greater resistance to mechanical to chemical damage, the flip side is they could impair grip and affect manual dexterity needs in a particular job.
L&T-SuFin offers a wide range of genuine and branded safety gloves online. Checkout the website for more options.