Protection that fits like a Glove
If a workplace hazard assessment reveals that employees face potential injury to hands and arms that cannot be eliminated through engineering and work practice controls, employers must
ensure that employees wear the appropriate protection. Potential hazards include skin absorption of harmful substances, chemical or thermal burns, electrical dangers, bruises, abrasions, cuts,
punctures, fractures and amputations. Protective equipment includes gloves, finger guards and arm coverings.
Employers should explore all possible engineering and work practice controls to eliminate hazards and use PPE to provide additional protection against hazards that cannot be completely mitigated. For example, machine guards may eliminate a hazard to fingers and hands. Installing a barrier to prevent employees from placing their hands at the point of contact between a table saw blade and the item being cut is another method.
There are many types of gloves available today to protect against a wide variety of hazards. Assessing the nature of the hazard and the operation involved will provide direction toward selecting the right gloves. The variety of potential occupational hand injuries makes selecting the right pair of gloves challenging. It is essential that employees use gloves specifically designed for the hazards and tasks found in their workplace because gloves designed for one function may not protect against a different function even though they may appear to be an appropriate protective device.
Some factors that may influence the selection of protective gloves for a workplace include the type of chemicals being handled, the nature of contact (total immersion, splash, etc.), the duration of the contact, the area requiring protection (hand only, forearm, full arm length), grip requirements, thermal protection and abrasion resistance requirements.
Gloves made from a wide variety of materials are designed for many types of workplace hazards.
Leather gloves protect against sparks, moderate heat, blows, chips and rough objects.
Aluminized gloves provide reflective and insulating protection against heat and require an insert made of synthetic materials to protect against heat and cold.
Aramid fiber gloves protect against heat and cold, are cut- and abrasive-resistant and wear well.
Synthetic gloves of various materials offer protection against heat and cold, are cut- and abrasive-resistant and may withstand some diluted acids. These materials do not stand up against alkalis and solvents.
Protective gloves should be inspected before each use to ensure that they are not torn, punctured or made ineffective in any way. A visual inspection will help detect cuts or tears and any gloves with impaired protective ability should be discarded and replaced.
