Are you wearing the right glove?

James Arrowsmith discusses the importance of hand protection assessment surveys and how they can help you to select the best glove for the job

Apuncture wound from an
infected needle, a cut from a
sharp piece of metal or a skin
disease contracted from handling toxic
substances are just some of the hazards
that workers, in a number of industries,
face on a day-to-day basis. Hand
protection may not be top of the list of
priorities when considering PPE
because hand injuries are not life
threatening, however they can still
seriously affect a worker’s way of life and
ability to work, ultimately costing the
employer in down time or worse, a
costly insurance claim.

To ensure that workers are properly
protected, it is important that employers
make sure that they are purchasing
appropriate, good quality hand
protection. Although purchasing cheap,
inferior hand protection will initially
seem like a cost effective option, sub
standard products will ultimately leave
workers exposed and at risk from serious
injuries that could stop them from
working.

Injuries can also occur when businesses
oversimplify the hand protection selection
process and choose an ‘all in one’ solution,
when in most instances different tasks
require different levels and types of hand
protection. Potential savings can also be
overlooked when selecting hand
protection as managers and employers
may choose hand protection products that
have been over-specified for
straightforward tasks where simpler, more
cost effective options may be available.

The working environment is constantly
evolving, introducing new hazards and
potential risks that require the use of PPE.

These changes in applications force
manufacturers to continually invent new
forms of PPE, using new materials and
innovative designs. This constant
innovation means that the PPE market is
flooded with products that all claim to
protect the worker against a range of
hazards and can make the selection
process confusing. But with so many
different types of hand protection on the
market that protect against a range of
hazards, how do you go about choosing
the correct product for the job?

Assessment survey
To help simplify the selection process, a
hand protection assessment survey
provides a comprehensive report on the
most appropriate specifications of hand
and arm protection for each task being
undertaken. There are a number of
reasons why companies carry out a hand
protection assessment survey, including a
change in a process or procedure, an
unacceptable level of injuries to workers
or as part of an annual safety assessment.

A hand protection assessment survey
indentifies a number of factors including:
the working environment, the task or
application, the hazard and how it might
be the cause of injury or harm and how
likely is it that the worker will sustain an
injury. It also looks specifically at hand
protection requirements such as: the level
of flexibility; dexterity and dry grip
required; does it need to provide grip in
wet or oily conditions; does the hand
protection need to be water resistant; does
the worker need protection against cuts,
abrasions, punctures and/or needles? It is
also vital that the survey studies the more
specialist requirements such as protection
against heat, flames, chemical immersion,
vibration and cold. The results are then
compiled and a suitable specification of
hand protection is identified in a
comprehensive report.

Product trial
Once the survey has been carried out and
the correct specification of hand
protection identified, a product trial is
recommended. This can be an effective
way of including employees in the
selection of hand protection. Not only do
trials involve workers directly in an
initiative that will directly affect them, it
can also help overcome any pre-formed
objections they might have to wearing the
gloves.

It is important to make sure that
employees are satisfied with the hand
protection that has been provided,
otherwise many will abandon their
gloves, either because they are
uncomfortable, inhibit movement or they
experience hand fatigue. This problem
usually occurs when workers have not
been consulted following a product trial
or if the gloves have not been fitted
correctly. It is also important that
employees understand the importance of
wearing and maintaining protective
gloves and the problems that could occur
if they are not worn.

James Arrowsmith is business
development manager at Polyco.