Hand Protection

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Home Safety Info Hand Protection

APPLICATION
When engineering and administrative control measures are unable to reduce the exposure to potential hand injuries, employees should be supplied with, and wear, hand protection suitable for the work being performed.

RISK ASSESSMENT
The need for hand protection should be assessed by conducting an assessment of potential workplace hazards. There are four interconnected factors to consider when selecting the best form of hand protection for the intended work - the type of hazard (physical, mechanical, chemical, biological); the nature of the task (regular process or incidental / accidental); user comfort (fit, dexterity); and workplace conditions (surface/ambient temperatures, wet/dry).

Hand protection must meet the protection parameters detailed in MSDS, safe work method statements or job safety assessments. The most common performance indicators for hand protection are as follows:

EN388 applies to gloves that protect against physical and mechanical hazards. It specifies requirements for resistance to damage from abrasion, perforation, tearing and cutting.

EN374 specifies the requirements of gloves for protection against chemicals and/or micro-organisms.

EN374-2 has a pass / fail test for gloves to ensure they are sealed against penetration of liquids – important for situations where glove immersion is a requirement or possibility.

EN374-3 tests gloves for permeation resistance to chemicals with each combination of chemical / glove classified according to resistance time.

Under the standard AS/NZS2161.10 (EN374-3), the symbol describes a permeation performance level equal to or greater than 30 minutes for a group of 12 industrial chemicals in the table below. For many workplace chemical hazards, a range of glove types may be required, one for each task.  One type of glove often cannot provide protection against chemical cocktails.  If the chemical is a cocktail, assess the glove’s performance on the most aggressive chemical.

Glove compatibility charts will help with permeation, degradation and breakthrough times and flow rates.  Chemical gloves should be checked routinely for leaks and rejected gloves destroyed immediately.

Safety Tips

• Use solvent and water resistant hand creams before & after work.
• Some people may develop an allergic reaction to latex gloves.
• Don’t use gloves worn by others.
• Use a cotton inner glove as a moisture barrier for prolonged glove use.

All workers should be trained in the correct use and maintenance of personal protective equipment.

SafetyQuip offers a full scope safety supply service for hand protection including safety gloves, work gloves, rubber gloves, disposable gloves, riggers gloves, mechanics gloves and welding gloves.