Page 30 - Occupational Health & Safety, April 2017

HAND PROTECTION
Understanding the Modern Single Use Glove
Glove construction now takes into account long-term usability to reduce finger fatigue, chronic skin conditions, and more troublesome musculoskeletal disorders.
BY THOMAS DRASKOVITCS
nificant upgrades over the past few years. Originally designed to merely protect the wearer from exterior elements of their environment, single use gloves now take a more holistic hand health approach, focusing on both the interior of the glove as well as the exterior.
But even those that wear them may not fully un- derstand all that goes into the design and manufacture of a single use glove, and many still think of these tools as a commodity product, with little differentiation be- tween a good glove and a not-so-good one. Here, we dispel some of the common myths surrounding single use gloves to show how they have evolved to provide better performance, improved hand health, and in- creased ergonomics.
Misconception #1: Gloves today are the same as they were 10 years ago.
Although they may look the same, single use gloves manufactured in the last few years employ a number of different materials and formulations designed to withstand various environments, from oil and grease to caustic chemicals.
Glove quality is tied directly to the quality of the materials used in the glove’s manufacturing and how those materials are brought together. A better con- structed nitrile glove will have a higher-quality blend of polymers that minimize fillers or other materials that reduce effectiveness. A lower AQL rating, sig- nifying superior water impermeability, can indicate improved quality overall, while the ability to achieve confirmed ratings for chemical and abrasion resis- tance can likewise be evidence that a glove has been engineered to higher standards.
In what seems to be a never-ending pursuit of cost cutting, many gloves can include additives designed to allow the glove to release from the manufacturing process quicker, to cure faster or to be easier to pack. Chemicals such as silicone, typically added to help keep the gloves from sticking together or clumping in the packaging, can be problematic in certain environ- ments. In truth, there are no shortcuts to quality.
The best gloves are often those manufactured free of the chemicals and additives that may cause prob-
lems or that come from manufacturers who take par- ticular care to completely cleanse products of unwant- ed contaminates before packaging.
Modern single use gloves incorporate a wide range of job-matched performance technologies.
There has also been a focus on obtaining a “near zero gradient,” which is a fancy way to say the fingers, the palm, and the cuff should all be as close to the same thickness as possible. Why is this important? Because it reduces finger fatigue, as shown through studies conducted on modulus and thickness gradient as they relate to finger dexterity and tactility within a single use glove.
This results in greater productivity and efficiency and, long term, single use glove wearers are much less prone to musculoskeletal disorders. As a result of spe- cifically engineered polymer formulations and intri- cate dipping motion control, these high-performance single use gloves demonstrate less tear, improved tactility, and a better-quality consistency for perfor- mance without the pain.
Misconception #2:
‘Wet Work’ comes with the territory.
Sticky, hot, slippery, messy. Anyone who wears single use gloves for extended periods of time will tell you, there’s just no way to get over that awful feeling of “wet work” . . . unless you have a moisture-wicking technology within the glove. Pulling the sweat away from the skin will not only keep hands drier and more comfortable, but also can reduce skin irritation and improve skin integrity.
Managed moisture equates to less friction within the glove, meaning dermal integrity is maintained and the skin can retain its natural protective barrier. When that natural barrier is compromised, skin is more sus- ceptible to dermatitis, since bacteria, chemicals, and other irritants are more likely to pass through the outer skin layers and be absorbed quicker.
A moisture-wicking lining integrated into the sin- gle use glove itself provides a better interior environ- ment that translates into less frequent and easier glove
24 Occupational Health & Safety | APRIL 2017
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oday’s single use gloves have come a long way since their first days in medical applications. From colors to construction, this often over- looked piece of PPE has had some pretty sig-
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