Page 36 - Occupational Health & Safety, August 2018

HAND PROTECTION
Goal Zero: Reducing Injuries Through Advances in Hand Protection
Companies are turning workplace safety into a personal matter. Bringing innovative materials science to PPE is a priority
for end users and brands alike.
BY BLANCHE MAASS There is increasing recognition of emotional factors in the prevention of workplace inju- ries. Manufacturers and construction and oil companies are campaigning with their teams to bring personal commitment back into safety targets by engaging them to individually watch out for them- selves and others, set an example inside and outside production facilities, and call out unsafe behavior, and they are fundamentally incorporating safety as part of
company culture.
To this aim, the PPE companies make available
to their workers can be a tangible demonstration of a company’s commitment to worker safety.
The Implications for PPE Brands
The demand on PPE brands is shifting as a result. For PPE brands, promoting safety means innovating to encourage adoption above and beyond minimum acceptable performance. In the realm of hand protec- tion, this translates into demand for premium prod- ucts, as well as product comfort and brand equity.
If the user recognizes the PPE brand, has a positive experience with it, and trusts it as reliable and consis- tent, then barriers to adoption are reduced. From the buyer’s perspective, the PPE brand is fulfilling its part of the workplace safety deal.
The Role of Innovation in Materials Science
The latest high-performance materials used in indus- trial workwear and PPE offer better chemical, me- chanical, impact, and thermal protection, as well as greater comfort and ergonomic design. This in turn can boost compliance, productivity, and performance because workers are more likely to use the PPE, are less restricted, have more flexible movement, and tend to get less tired.
“Protective apparel can sometimes be quite un- comfortable to wear, and the reality is that comfort equals compliance for industrial end users,” explained Rodney Taylor, global sales and marketing manager for industrial PPE at D3O. “Material providers and brands are trying to provide products that are more comfortable without sacrificing the performance they’re intended to offer.”
Bringing innovative materials science to PPE is
therefore a priority for end users and brands. With gloves, this ranges from new liquid repellent treat- ments to prevent oils and liquids getting inside and keep hands clean and dry, to advanced materials that can be applied to the palm and finger pads to maintain grip even in oily conditions, to advanced cut-resistant yarns to protect workers from cut and slash hazards without adding bulk.
In the PPE sector, one of the most significant de- velopments has been the evolution of fire-retardant fabrics. These range from applied chemical treatments to protect fibers from fire to the development of mate- rials such as DuPontTM Nomex®, where flame resistance is built into the chemical structure.
Similar industry-changing developments include DuPontTM Kevlar® and Twaron, which were devel- oped commercially in the 1970s and combine greater strength with lighter weight as well as heat resis- tance, and waterproof but breathable materials, such as GORE-TEX (invented in 1969), which consists of stretched polytetrafluoroethylene.
Mixing Increased Hand Protection
with PPE Production Agility
One notable element used in impact protection is PVC plastisol (TPR), a generic term that can encom- pass many different materials. “Up until this point, the only way to modify the properties of the TPR was either by changing the plasticizer or changing the amount of plasticizer to make the material harder or softer” said Dr. Norman Keane, chief technology offi- cer at D3O. “But this didn’t fundamentally change the character of the TPR.”
D3O used its materials science knowhow to devel- op a new liquid additive that blends easily with PVC plastisol to provide better shock absorption proper- ties. “That’s the breakthrough,” Keane said. “We’ve developed a synergistic blend that gives us a 30 per- cent improvement in protection. Factory owners don’t have to change the fundamental ways in which they process TPR; they can get a 30 percent improvement in the protection properties of TPR but still run it on the same equipment around the world.”
As the working environment continues to evolve, the challenge for material scientists and PPE manu-
32 Occupational Health & Safety | AUGUST 2018
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