Glove Selection Guide
Overview
Most chemicals can damage your skin severely or cause allergic reactions and irritations. Some chemicals can even be absorbed through your skin, causing skin contamination and infection. Skin can also be damaged through extreme heat and constant frictions. Because of these reasons, protection against hazardous materials and chemicals is really important.
Given the wide range of applications, gloves must be selected carefully on the basis of the type of work carried out and the materials they are made of.
EN Standards
The most commonly known and most relevant standards for gloves are EN 388 and EN 374. A third standard - the EN 455, is normally used to test gloves for health care purposes. Pictograms or symbols (as seen below) will appear to be marked on the gloves or the boxes if the gloves have passed the tests.
EN 374
Specifies the standards for the protection of the gloves against chemicals and/or microorganisms. It requires that:
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The gloves need to be sealed against liquids and chemicals's penetration according to the specified method in EN 374-2.
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The resistance towards permeation of the gloves are tested according to method EN 374-3. Classification of the gloves is made based on the time it takes for the gloves to resist the permeation of the chemicals.
EN 388
Specifies the requirements for the protection of the gloves against physical and mechanical hazards such as perforation, abrasion, and tearing/cutting.
EN 455
Specifies the requirements for the protection of the gloves against infection risks. Most commonly applied to the gloves worn in health care.
When Should You Wear Your Gloves
You should always wear your gloves when handling and dealing with: toxic materials, corrosive substances, hazardous chemicals, very hot or very cold materials, and materials with sharp or rough edges.
Gloves must always be worn in conjunction with other measures, because:
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Some gloves are inconvenient for certain people and hinder their work
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Gloves can provoke skin problems
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The wearer’s sense of touch is being affected by wearing gloves
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A good fit gives a better protection from the gloves
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Gloves do protect the wearer, but the contaminants around the workplace environment still exist
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The gloves might fail to protect the user from the contaminant, especially if they are poorly maintained or used incorrectly.
Despite the above facts, gloves can eliminate most dangerous exposures if the users understand how to use the gloves appropriately, knowing and wearing the right size of gloves, and also knowing the limitations of the selected gloves.
Incidental versus Intentional Contact
Incidental contact occurs when direct contact with the hazardous materials occurs involuntarily. The most common type of incidental contact happens from a spill or splash. Most disposable gloves should provide sufficient protection provided that the gloves are changed instantly once a splash or a spill happens.
Intentional contact occurs when the tasks require voluntary direct contacts with the hazardous materials, e.g. handling of materials soaked with the hazardous chemicals, submerging hands into the hazardous substance, or directly holding/dealing with the material rather than the container.
When choosing your gloves, it is imperative to choose gloves which are made from the right materials to sufficiently protect or prevent permeation from the chemicals. Often, this requires you to use a reusable glove.
Reusable and Disposable Gloves
Reusable gloves are generally 18-28 mm in thickness. They interfere more with dexterity and sense of touch compared to the disposable gloves. However, they offer a much better protection against physical hazards, less likely to break/tear, and resists chemical permeation for longer. In order to prolong their lifecycle, they need to be properly maintained. Most reusable gloves have a longer cuff length than disposable gloves from the same material to offer better protection against liquid slipping in from the top of the glove.
Disposable gloves are generally 4-8 mm in thickness. They are not designed for handling highly toxic chemicals and provide little protection against physical hazards due to their thickness. However, these gloves allow their users to retain their sense of touch, and agility. Disposable gloves are designed to protect against incidental contacts with chemicals and should always be changed after any spills or splashes. Disposable gloves are designed for a once-off usage only.
Taking Care of Your Reusable Gloves
Every time after work, reusable gloves need to be rinsed and cleaned accordingly to avoid involuntary skin contamination during the next use. This is crucial, especially if the work involves full submersion or handling of chemicals that are hazardous and can penetrate through the glove material. For frequent use, the gloves should be turned inside out and be properly rinsed off. Check your gloves often for cracking or fading prior to each use. They must be discarded if such flaws are found or if contamination occurs on the inside.
Glove Materials
To view our wide range of rubber gloves, nitrile gloves, latex gloves, and all other gloves, please click here
Selecting Your Gloves
There are four factors you should consider when choosing and selecting the right gloves:
a) The tasks you would be performing
b) The type of hazard you would be exposed to (chemical, etc)
c) The user (size and fit, state of health, etc)
d) The conditions of the workplace (temperature, wet or dry, ergonomics, etc)
The Task
Factors you should consider are:
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Abrasion , tear, puncture, snag, and cut-resistance requirements
In most cases, reusable gloves would be a much better option due to their thickness and the degree of protections they offer. Disposable gloves generally do not offer a high degree of protection.
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Dexterity requirements
Although thicker gloves provide a much better protection against chemicals or mechanical hazards, they will affect your dexterity and your grip. Thinner gloves, on the other hand, do not offer a high degree of protection. Depending on your work, you might need to wear more than one type of gloves
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Cuff length
Gloves with long cuffs are crucial for extra protection of your lower arm. Generally, the cuff of a standard disposable gloves only covers a small area of the wrist. A gap might be exposed between the top of your glove and the sleeve of a protective clothing.
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Grip requirements and working conditions, e.g. oily or wet
Most manufacturers provide a smooth or textured surface on the gloves. Textured surface gloves provide a better grip and is especially important in wet or oily conditions.
The Hazard
Typically, there are 4 categories for which gloves need to be used to protect against. They are chemical hazard, biological, physical and mechanical hazards.
Chemical Hazard
Each gloving materials are liable to damage or failure by degradation or permeation. In most cases, nitrile gloves would be sufficient to protect against incidental contact.
If your tasks involve a series of voluntary contacts with chemicals classified as toxic or harmful, always consult a chemical resistance chart and material safety data sheets before choosing the most suitable gloves.
Breakthrough time
Is the measure of the time it takes for a chemical to penetrate a glove. A shorter breakthrough time normally occurs with thinner gloves.
For tasks with voluntary contact, the breakthrough time is the maximum number of times the glove can be used for before it needs to be discarded. In the case of tasks that are longer than breakthrough time, the gloves should be changed halfway through. It is advisable to allow for a safety margin time.
Reusable gloves should be thoroughly rinsed and washed after use for direct handling of chemicals that can penetrate the glove. They should also be discarded even before the total use time exceeds the breakthrough time, as permeation can continue even after the gloves are washed.
If the chemicals handled are above ambient temperature or at higher concentration than normal, the penetration time will be shorter.
Gloves for work with mixture of chemicals
It is highly recommended for you to always check the composition of each chemicals. In the case of a mixture of chemicals with different recommended glove material, the one that best defends the chemical attack with the fastest penetration time will be the perfect choice. If you are still unsure over which should take priority (i.e. shortest penetration time or highest toxicity), contact your work safe local body government.
Biological Hazard
A lot of the work in bioscience and/or medical laboratories involve a series of handling chemical and infectious hazards. Typically, gloves that are manufactured for chemical protection provide sufficient protection against viruses and bacterias. However, the protective gloves must fulfil the requirements in EN 374: microorganisms and have good resistance to depreciation from related chemicals. Glove failure is very dangerous and might cause infections.
Mechanical and Physical Hazard
a) Mechanical Hazard
Damage from mechanical hazards can normally be absorbed sufficiently through the usage of fabric-based gloves. The traditional leather material has been replaced largely by polymer-coated cotton gloves or gloves made from high performance synthetic yarns for water-proofing and protection against chemicals.
Range of gloves for protection against mechanical hazards includes:
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Nitrile (on a fabric liner) – gives excellent resistance against punctures and abrasions with retained flexibility and comfort.
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PVC - Polyvinyl Chloride – although generally PVC has a poor tear resistance, PVC offers good resistance against abrasion and puncture. It also provides some cut protection, for thicker PVC.
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Kevlar brand fibre – this is a special man-made yarn. Kevlar gloves normally have sleeves and gloves that are knitted. Kevlar provides excellent resistance against tear, cut, and abrasion.
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Latex – latex is a natural rubber that is extremely flexible and elastic. Latex also has good physical attributes. Depending on the construction, natural rubber can provide resistance against abrasion, tear, and cut.
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Leather – is a tanned natural material modified for a range of usage. There is a wide range of leather gloves with a variety of thickness and styles, ranging from specialised to very basic general purpose gloves.
For gloves tested against EN 388, number indicated below the pictogram indicates the level of protection against cut, tear, abrasion, and puncture.
b) Thermal Hazard
Both extreme heat and cold can damage your skin, e.g. liquid nitrogen and samples taken from -70 fridges will cause sever cold burns. Gloves for protection against cold are tested against EN 511. Gloves for heat are tested against EN 407.
Range of gloves for protection against thermal hazard includes:
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Aluminised gloves – reflects heat and can be used in areas with extremely high temperatures. Kevlar brand fibre and leather are some of the materials that can be aluminised
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Cotton – provides some resistance to heat and cold. For better protections, the cotton needs to be thick, but dexterity and movements might be reduced
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Leather – provides a good protection against cold, provided that the gloves are not wet. Leather is also used as a material for heat resistant gloves, e.g. welding gloves
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Kevlar brand fibre – Originally developed for the aerospace industry, Kevlar provides the necessary extreme heat resistance for entering the earth’s atmosphere and is a good heat resistant material.
Click here to view our full range of thermal gloves
c) Electrical Hazard
For protection against electrical hazard, specially designed gloves are required. The voltage and conditions in which the hazard exists must be considered when assessing gloves for electrical hazards.
Protective gloves for high voltage electrical work must follow the requirements in BS EN60903. Gloves need to be tested constantly to prevent performance loss. Standard laboratory or domestic-grade rubber gloves – Marigolds – are not tested for electrical hazards
The User
When choosing your gloves, you should always consider these factors:
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Hand size
Gloves that are too small can cause rashes or unnecessary hand fatigue. Gloves that are too large can snag, are uncomfortable, and can affect your grip. To ensure maximum protection and efficiency, choose the right size gloves for your hand. Pictured below is the australian gloves size.
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Cuts and abrasions
Any exposed wounds should always be covered with a waterproof band aids or dressing before wearing gloves.
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Latex allergy
Someone who is allergic to latex must not wear any latex gloves and will need to wear alternative gloves. If the person has a highly sensitised allergic reaction, such as asthma attack, anaphylactic reaction, or nette rash, then others working within the same area (vicinity) should avoid using gloves to prevent any exposure of the allergic person to traces of latex on shared equipments. Everyone using latex gloves must be given information on how to report and recognise possible allergic reactions to latex gloves.
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Skin problems
Someone with eczema should consider using a cotton liner inside the gloves in order to prevent irritation caused by sweat. Glove liners should always be washed regularly to remove soap residues before use. The tips can be cut off to increase touch sensitivity. People with eczema should use moisturisers on their hands after washing their hands.
The Conditions of the Workplace
The conditions that might affect your gloves:
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Temperature
Temperature is often associated with comfort. Exposure to sweat inside the gloves for a long period can cause dermatitis or other skin problems. Make sure you dry your hands frequently and use a fresh pair of cotton liner for the sweat to be absorbed.
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Repetitive movements
Gloves with good flexibility and elasticity are perfect for tasks that require a lot of repetitive movements.
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Wet work
Wearing longer cuffed gloves is recommended in wet conditions, to reduce the risk of liquids slopping into the gloves. For improved grip, wear gloves with textured surface.
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