Safety norms at any workplace must always be defined to ensure security of the entire workforce. Occupation safety aims to maintain and promote the social and physical well- being of employees. There are various industries like the health and wellness, and food and beverage industry which extensively use industrial gloves to protect hands from any bacteria, which may cause health concerns.
The Safety and Health Executives are independent regulators, with power to legally punish workers or companies for putting others in danger. The HSE also helps businesses on how the use of Personal Protective Equipment like protective clothing, goggles and industrial work gloves are helpful.
Substance Exposure & Protection
Protection from substance contact is most effectively and reliably achieved by designing the operating processes to avoid contact with harmful substances. Use of hand protection gloves is a major factor in protection. Industrial safety gloves are not as effective as other control measure but are still important when avoiding substance contact.
Selecting Appropriate Industrial Gloves
Hand protection gloves come in special sizes, designs, materials, density, and thicknesses. Choosing the appropriate kind of gloves is very important. Consider these important five factors to make the right decision:
- Identify the substances which require handling.
- Consider all other work hazards.
- Consider the duration of the contact with substances.
- Consider the user's comfort.
- Identify various tasks which need use of hand gloves.
There are two types of substances used in products, both of which may cause harm if come in contact:
- Substances created by the production process
- Natural substances
Sometimes, product labels carry information with regards to the kind of industrial gloves being used. Hand protection glove manufacturers have charts with performance related information.
Three key terms used by manufacturers are:
- Breakthrough time: The time taken by these chemicals to pass through the glove material.
- Permeation rate: The quantity of all chemical substances that go by the glove and reach the skin.
- Degradation: Certain materialcan cause industrial gloves to get softer, harder, or even swell sometimes. The higher the ratings, the betterthe material.
Other hazards like the risks of abrasion, cuts and punctures, high temperatures and allergies exist, and are prominent enough to be taken into consideration while choosing hand protection gloves.
Industrial gloves must not hamper the tasks from being performed. Oily and wet objects should be handled with textured gloves.Thecomfort of gloves directly affects the productivity based on the duration of its usage.
Safety should always be a top priority.
