The Workshop Werehouse

Advice Centre

Skin at Work

 

Choosing the Right Gloves To Protect Your Skin

Gloves differ in design, material and thickness. There is no one glove designed to protect against all substances and neither will a pair of gloves protect against a specific substance indefinitely.

Working With Water

Prolonged, frequent contact with water especially in combination with soaps and detergents can cause a skin condition called dermatitis. To protect hands from this condition it is important to choose a glove that meets European Standard EN374-2, which shows that the gloves are waterproof.

Products Containing Substances/Chemicals

Some products contain substances that can harm the skin or enter the body through skin contact. Check the product label or material safety data sheet to tell you whether or not this is the case and it may also give information on the correct safety gloves to wear. If either of this is missing then try contacting the product supplier or manufacturer for help. Not all harmful substances come in labelled containers; some harmful substances are generated during working activities, e.g. solder fumes and wood dust. Some natural substances like flowers and foods can cause skin problems too. To protect hands from substances and or chemicals choose a glove that meets the European Standard EN374-3, making sure the glove material you choose protects against the substances being handled. Glove manufacturers usually produce charts to show how well their gloves perform against different substances using three key terms, breakthrough time, permeation rate and degradation.

Breakthrough time is the time a chemical takes to permeate through the glove material and reach the inside. Permeation is a process by which a chemical can pass through a material without going through pinholes or pores or other visible openings. This tells you how long you can use a glove for.

The permeation rate is the amount that then permeates through. The higher the rate the more of the chemical will move through the glove. Choose a low rate. * Some chemicals can destroy the glove material; it may get harder, softer or swell.

Degradation indicates the deterioration of the glove material on contact with a specific chemical. Choose gloves with an excellent or good degradation rating. Identify All Other Hazards for Hands Identify all other hazards; is there a risk of abrasion, cuts, puncture or high temperatures. There are chemical protective gloves that also protect against mechanical hazards (EN338) and thermal hazards (EN407).

Consider the Type and Duration of Contact

How long with the gloves be worn. Will they be worn intermittently for a short time or for long periods, with comfort being more important for longer wear. In general thicker, robust gloves offer greater protection than thinner gloves but thinner gloves offer better dexterity. Will contact be from occasional splashes or from total immersion? Shorter gloves can be used to protect against splashes but if hand are to be immersed a glove with a length greater than the depth of immersion must be worn.

Consider the Size and Comfort for the User

Gloves should fit the wearer properly, tight gloves can make hands tired and therefore more easily loose grip and gloves that are too large can create folds which could lead to clumsiness. Comfortable gloves are more likely to be worn. Hands can sweat inside gloves making them uncomfortable to wear, take glove breaks. Remove gloves for a minute or two every now and then, this will help to avoid hands getting hot and sweaty. Cotton gloves with absorb sweat can be used under ptotective gloves and can be washed and reused.

Consider the Task

Gloves should not hamper the task at hand. Use gloves with a textured/roughened surface for working with wet or oily objects. Gloves should balance both protection and dexterity and ensure that they meet any standards required for the task e.g. sterile gloves, food grade gloves, etc.

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