Page 18 - Occupational Health & Safety, January/February 2019

HAND PROTECTION
needed and necessary.
Bridging the Gap: Building a Better Disposable Glove
With chemicals more abundant in the workplace—and with them a greater risk for injury—proper personal protection is a critical requirement. However, the design and designated applications of chemical and disposable gloves is quickly evolving. Technology and availability of more robust options to better bridge the gap between traditional disposable and heavy-duty chemical gloves is making a much-needed splash across workplaces.
While disposable gloves are commonly constructed of latex, nitrile, or neoprene, unique composites of these materials and innovative layering technology are de- livering the splash-resistant benefits of a chemical glove while still maintaining the comfortable thin feel and secure grip asso- ciated with traditional disposable gloves. Together, these attributes can reduce hand and forearm muscle fatigue to prevent the likelihood of costly or dangerous ac- cidents or spills.
Innovations in design also are helping disposable gloves work harder and longer for workers than ever before. For example, some gloves now employ a multi-layered design. One layer will protect against ac- ids and bases, while another might protect against solvents and provide more abrasion resistance. Tougher exteriors also help PPE stand up longer in demanding physical and chemical environments.
Glove innovations are improving ca- pabilities and changing customer expec- tations of disposable gloves for the better. When it comes time to select chemical PPE, you’ve got numerous options, and it can be overwhelming given all of the choices.
Selection Time: Picking the Right Robust Disposable Glove
With more robust disposable gloves on the market, a challenge arises: How do you select the right robust disposable glove for your need? How do you ensure it meets specific worker requirements? What makes one glove a cut above the rest?
First and foremost, always conduct a hazard assessment to take stock of any pos- sible hazards in the environment. Under- standing exactly what workers need protec- tion from is critical in selecting the proper PPE. Reading the labels and the safety data
sheets of liquids is a good place to start. Factoring in the application and setting is critical as well. Are sterile or clean gloves needed? Is protection against heat or cold necessary? Is there an additional risk for cut? Select a glove based on specific envi- ronmental hazards, as well as potential ex-
posure time to those hazards.
Finally, considering necessary glove fea-
tures is imperative to ensure the glove aids worker movement and productivity instead of hindering progress. There are a few key types of protection to consider when select- ing a chemical-protective disposable glove:
■ Durability: When gloves frequently rip or tear during the course of a job, it can put workers at risk of exposure to hazard- ous materials. For robust protection, look for heavier-weight gloves with higher ten- sile strength and greater break force values.
■ Tactility: Workers who wear dis- posable gloves often need outstanding dexterity to get the job done. Look for gloves that allow exceptional tactility and comfort when wet and dry to support worker performance.
■ Grip: Certain nitrile formulations provide better grip and tackiness than oth- ers, allowing workers to handle objects with confidence and ease. Look for texture in the fingers and palm as well to improve grip.
■ Splash protection: Splashes will in- evitably occur in the workplace. If workers find their gloves degrade and easily break apart, better protection against chemicals and liquids is needed. Gloves with better degradation and permeation properties protect for longer periods of time.
■ Quality: Not all gloves are manu- factured to the same standards. Some may have more pinhole defects, creating a breach and allowing chemicals and liquids to seep through the glove barrier. If con- cerned about breaches, examine a glove’s Acceptable Quality Level (AQL). AQL is a measure of product defects, such as pin- holes in disposable gloves. A low AQL is an indication that the glove is manufactured and tested to higher standards and there is a lower risk of having pinhole defects.
Disposable gloves are now anything but disposable in the workplace—innovations and robust product offerings have allowed disposable gloves to work harder, longer, and better for the wearer. Users no longer have to trade the comfort of thin, dispos- able gloves for the splash resistance or more comprehensive protection of chemi- cal gloves.
Joe Kubicek is President of the Healthcare Global Business Unit at Ansell.
REFERENCES
1. https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/ press-release/disposable-gloves-market.html
2. Potential Health Effects Associated with Dermal Exposure to Occupational Chemicals, National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2014 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ar- ticles/PMC4270264/
3. Potential Health Effects Associated with Dermal Exposure to Occupational Chemicals, National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2014 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ar- ticles/PMC4270264/
12 Occupational Health & Safety | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019
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