The right glove for the right job

by Robin Roberts

Nearly every industrial plant, commercial facility or construction site uses hand protection. Demonstrate your value by making sure they use the right glove for the job.

Begin with a hazard assessment. Your customers have responsibilities to their employees to properly assess the hazards of the task or job being performed.

The principles of proper hazard assessment are:
1) Identify the hazards in the workplace.
2) Attempt to engineer hazards out of the task or job.
3) Evaluate the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) used by the employee.
4) Train employees in the proper use and care of PPE.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration sets the standard for PPE. In part, the standard (29 CFR Part 1910.138) establishes criteria requiring employers to provide on-the-job hand protection to employees exposed to hazards such as skin absorption of harmful substances, severe cuts or lacerations, severe abrasions, punctures, chemical burns, thermal burns and harmful temperature extremes.

It also requires employers to evaluate performance characteristics of hand protection relative to the task performed, job conditions and existing or potential hazards.

For example, foundry workers generally must wear gloves that provide thermal protection, while meat cutters must wear gloves that protect against cuts. While selecting appropriate gloves for a certain task or hazard may seem obvious, OSHA’s rulemaking record indicates that many hand injuries occur because the wrong type of glove was used for a certain task.

Seven questions to ask
Here are seven questions to ask before selling gloves to a customer.

1) What type glove do you use? Look at a glove, or better yet, obtain a sample. This is the first step in establishing a baseline to identify options.

2) Why do you replace your gloves? Determine if they are worn out when they are discarded or simply used once. Gloves can protect the product being handled as much as they protect the wearer (these inspection gloves are usually disposed of frequently). If the application soils the gloves beyond a reasonable level during one use, a more expensive glove will not likely work. Cuts in gloves may indicate an application for material that offers better protection. How long the employee uses the glove before replacing it may provide clues to determine if a better glove could reduce the customer’s overall costs.

3) Are any chemicals involved? Identify the chemicals by chemical name, not trade or brand name. If the facility uses more than one chemical, determine if they are mixed, because this may change the ability of the glove to protect the wearer. Identify the temperature of the chemical, since a glove’s permeation rate is directly related to the temperature of the chemical. Permeation testing  (what you see in chemical resistance charts) is conducted at 74 degrees F. With each 18 F rise in temperature, permeation rate roughly doubles, and breakthrough time decreases significantly. Determine the length of time wearers are exposed to chemicals. Short exposure or incidental splash may be treated different from long immersion.

4) What is the temperature of items handled? Determine the weight of the object and how long it is held. A 50-pound casting at 350 F feels hotter than a loaf of bread at 350 F.

5) What is your monthly usage? An inordinately high usage rate per wearer could indicate the wrong glove for the application. This same information is vital in providing total cost comparison data.

6) What is a ballpark price of each style? It’s always good to know what you’re up against.

7) If you could improve your current glove, what would you change? The options include dexterity/sense of feel, grip, wear/durability, and cost. Get an idea of the real goals of the customer. Something as simple as a smaller size may mean a remarkable difference in the wearer’s comfort.

What then?
Technologies used to manufacture gloves have changed in recent years. Glove manufacturers use materials today that are thinner and more durable and that improve the wearer’s comfort and enhance their ability to work effectively. In many cases, these new products lower usage and reduce overall glove program costs. Keep an open mind to new product developments and make sure your customers see them as well.

Remember, it’s all about the right glove for the job.

Robin Roberts is vice president of sales for Protective Industrial Products, a supplier of gloves to industrial distributors throughout the U.S. Reach him at 410-420-8723.

This article originally appeared in the March/April '02 issue of Progressive Distributor magazine. Copyright 2002.

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