With multi-hazard protective gloves, workers are in safe hands
Hand injuries remain a significant occupational risk that is too often due to inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE). Here Joel DeNardis, Global Marketing Manager, DuPont™ Kevlar® Industrials looks at how multi-hazard protective gloves combined with comfort are critical to keeping workers’ hands safe.
Many workers perform manual tasks daily, from handling tools to operating machinery. Unsurprisingly, the hands are one of the most accident-prone parts of the body. Common injuries include cuts, abrasions, punctures, and burns.
According to EUROSTAT, “contact with a sharp/pointed or rough/coarse agent” represents the third most common cause of non-fatal workplace injuries in the EU, affecting nearly half a million workers each year[1]. In addition to this, “contact with electrical voltage, temperature, and hazardous substances” is another significant source of injuries, causing over 76 thousand European workers to go on sick leave for at least four days in 2019[2].
Hand injuries can be life-changing and lead to prosecutions and hefty fines for employers. For example, in December 2021, a UK manufacturer of brick products was fined £530,000 after a maintenance worker lost his hand while polishing a metal shaft as it rotated in a manual lathe[3].
Two hands, multiple hazards
Many workplaces present multiple hazards, including sharp surfaces, moving parts, heat sources, and electrical equipment. According to the latest EU-OSHA ESENER survey, “accidents with machines or hand tools” constituted a risk in nearly half of surveyed workplaces[4], while almost 37 percent of employers cited "heat" as one of the risks they must deal with[5].
Protecting workers' hands against all these threats is critical but selecting adequate gloves can be challenging. Typically, protective gloves have been designed to address either mechanical risks (cuts, abrasions, punctures) or thermal risks (heat, flame, electric arc). Consequently, workers may need to change gloves several times a day according to the task and risks involved. This approach entails several challenges.
Firstly, taking a pair of gloves off to wear a new one may result in downtime and harm productivity. More importantly, a worker may not wear gloves consistently or wear the same pair throughout the day to save time, meaning they won’t be adequately protected. In recent years, industry standards have been updated to address these challenges and simplify the selection of adequate hand protection according to the risk.
Living up to the latest industry standards
All protective gloves sold in Europe, North America, and other regions must meet industry standards that set minimum requirements for hand protection. Understanding these standards is critical to providing adequate hand protection levels without harming comfort and dexterity. For example, high cut resistance, which had typically involved thicker gloves, may be excessive for a relatively low-risk task that requires high dexterity. By contrast, insufficient cut or thermal protection level may put workers at risk.
The main European standard for mechanical protection is EN 388:2016+A1:2018, which sets requirements for protective gloves against abrasion, cut, tear, puncture, and impact. The equivalent standard in North America is ANSI/ISEA 105-2016 which also covers flame resistance, heat resistance, chemical protection, and vibration reductions. Both standards mandate that gloves must display, in their marking, the cut protection level and abrasion, tear, puncture, and impact resistance performance.
Another essential European standard is the recently-updated EN 407:2020. This norm specifies basic requirements for protective gloves against thermal risks. According to this standard, the marking must indicate the level of protection against thermal hazards including flammability, contact heat, convective heat, radiant heat, or small and large molten metal splashes.
Some workers may also be exposed to various electrical hazards, including arc flash and shock. The primary European standard in the area is EN 60903:2003 (Live working Gloves of Insulating Material). The American equivalent is ASTM D120-22 (Standard Specification for Rubber Insulating Gloves). Both consider shock hazards, while you should also reference NFPA 70E (Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace) for arc flash hazards for hands. This standard was recently updated to increase awareness in arc flash hazards for hands.
Comfort and safety go hand in hand
Ensuring adequate hand protection levels according to the latest standards is essential to strike the right balance between performance and comfort. A recent DuPont study suggests that comfort and dexterity are the primary glove selection factors for safety professionals across Europe[6]. According to the research, 6 in 10 surveyed HSE managers cited either comfort or flexibility/dexterity as the most important attributes for protective gloves. Even when looking at more specific factors, worker comfort and well-being appear to be top of mind. 65 percent of respondents pointed to moisture management as an important factor when selecting gloves.
Uncomfortable gloves can not only affect a worker's well-being and productivity, but they can also lead to injuries. Workers may be less inclined to wear gloves consistently or even remove their hand protection to perform specific tasks requiring high precision. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, seven in ten hand injuries are due to workers not wearing protective gloves[7].
Worker fatigue is another important consideration. Uncomfortable gloves can exacerbate fatigue, especially when worn for prolonged periods. Fatigue can harm productivity and, more importantly, heighten the risk of injuries. According to the Health and Safety Executive, work accidents due to fatigue cost the UK up to £240 million per year[8].
Effective multi-hazard protection with optimal comfort and dexterity
Material innovators like DuPont are now developing new PPE solutions that integrate different materials to achieve multi-hazard protection. For example, the new patented DuPont™ Kevlar® engineered yarns combine cut and thermal-resistant soft-spun material, high-strength inorganic yarns, and elastic stretch-core yarns. This way, a single glove solution can achieve optimal protection against cut, heat, flame, and electric arc hazards without compromising comfort and dexterity.
Kevlar® engineered yarns can help maximise protection levels without significantly increasing weight and thickness. These materials also help deliver enhanced breathability and moisture management, enabling greater worker comfort and dexterity across many industries, from automotive to manufacturing and utilities.
The iconic DuPont™ Kevlar® fiber, first invented in 1965, is known for its light weight, durability, and extraordinary strength. Over the years, this high-strength material has been deployed in many applications, ranging from bicycle and vehicle tires to racing sails and bullet resistant vests. Its unique, high tensile strength-to-weight ratio makes it an ideal candidate for multi-hazard protective gloves.
Hand protection that combines optimal, multi-hazard performance and comfort can help minimize the risk of workers not wearing gloves when needed. By reducing fatigue and enhancing dexterity without compromising safety, workers can perform their tasks more productively while staying safe. The latest multi-hazard glove solutions can also help companies lower their PPE and inventory costs by reducing the number of glove models typically required to perform different tasks.
Hand injuries are likely to remain a common workplace risk in years to come. Protective gloves are the last line of defense against this risk. Thanks to the latest advancements in PPE materials, HSE managers can now safeguard workers’ hands more effectively while enhancing comfort and dexterity.
[2] https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/HSW_PH3_08__custom_3638537/default/table?lang=en
[3] https://press.hse.gov.uk/2021/12/13/company-prosecuted-after-worker-lose-hand-in-lathe/
[6] Based on DuPont’s qualitative survey of 139 safety professionals and 83 distributors across automotive, glass/metal fabrication, and manufacturing in Germany, the UK, France, Scandinavia, Spain, and Portugal.
[7] https://www.lhsfna.org/understanding-the-causes-of-occupational-hand-injuries/