Page 10 - Occupational Health & Safety, August 2017

HAND PROTECTION
The Golden Era of Hand Protection
Just as the medieval knights required task- specific protection, today’s worker is more of an industrial athlete requiring gear to enhance performance.
BY LARRY GARNER H
istory does repeat itself, even within the scope of hand protection. Thou- sands of years ago, as the
image shows, human beings were
looking to protect their hands dur-
ing boxing matches. Fast forward to
the twelfth century, and medieval
knights were using metal mesh gloves for hand pro- tection. Now, during the modern 21st century, his- tory is repeating itself yet again, as the glove industry uses metal mesh gloves for protecting employees in extreme conditions, just as those medieval knights did over 800 years ago.
In addition, application-specific glove offerings are nothing new. See the “bow and arrow” glove im- age from the 15th century, specifically targeting a bowman, equivalent to today’s protector (as shown). Today, we no longer have a high demand for bowman gloves, but there are applications needing lightweight cut resistance, while also allowing for premier grip and sense of touch.
Even though history does repeat itself, it most often repeats itself with
technological ad-
vancements, both
From a product standpoint, our industry has evolved from primarily leather and cotton gloves to an industry where a wide assortment of materials are utilized. The materials provide cut, abrasion, heat, anti-vibration, back of hand, and chemical protection for today’s industrial athlete. Historically speaking, the glove industry’s evolution can be identified and categorized when significant technologies afford new opportunities. The past 50 years may be recognized as the Golden Era of Hand Protection.
Consider the following timeline showing our in- dustry’s chronological progressions.
16th to 21st Century
Early leather tanning and glove manufacturing tools
Just as William Shakespeare’s father made gloves in 16th century England using leather, much stayed the same way for the next 400-500 years. Up to 1970, leather, cotton, and jersey fabrics represented the bulk of the industry’s hand protection offerings.
The greatest transformations took place within the glove industry starting with the formation of OSHA.
1970:
OSHA was founded in 1970 and its initial PPE stan- dards, initiated as early as 1971 and still in place today, fueled the growth of personal protective equipment.
General Requirements (29 C.F.R. 1910.132)
■ Based on the hazard assessment, the employer must select appropriate and properly fitting PPE for use by affected employees.
■ Each employee who is required to use PPE must be trained in the proper use of the PPE and be retrained when necessary.
Hand Protection (29 C.F.R. 1910.138)
■ Appropriate hand protection must be worn when hands are exposed to hazards such as skin absorption of harmful substances, severe cuts, lac- erations or abrasions, punctures, chemical or thermal burns, and harmful temperature extremes.
■ Employers must base selection of hand protec- tion on “an evaluation of the performance character- istics of the hand protection in relation to the tasks performed, duration of use and hazards presented.”
within the manu-
facturing process
and the product.
During William
Shakespeare’s
day, leather glove
manufacturing tools were designed for an industry requiring a highly labor-intensive process (see the tannery image). Even the tanning process of the 15th century was ancient by today’s standards, using urine as an integral step. Today, glove manufacturing has moved to take advantage of lower labor cost and en- hanced facilities.
8 Occupational Health & Safety | AUGUST 2017
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