Working in some industries risks harming your hands and arms. Accidents can occur due to the skin absorbing harmful substances, thermal burns, hazardous chemicals, electrical danger, bruises and cuts, and punctures.
Thus, it is essential to use personal protection equipment (PPE) for hand protection. Hand protective equipment includes gloves, finger guards, and arm coverings. Protecting your hands is mandatory in any field of work that risks injuring them.
Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) notes that over 70% of hand injuries have been prevented due to wearing gloves as part of workers’ PPE.
There are some workplace scenarios where you cannot ignore hand protection elements.
Industries and Working Conditions that require You to wear Gloves
Your hands need protection under various workplace conditions that might jeopardise them. Some of the most common reasons to wear gloves while working include the following:
- Threat from biohazard
- Protection from impacts, lacerations, and punctures
- Prevent contact with toxic chemicals and corrosives
- Protection against burns, chemical or thermal accidents
Looking for the Right Glove
Only some gloves serve the same hand protection functions. When selecting a safety glove, you need to assess the risks you are mitigating daily. However, it is mandatory to ensure that the gloves fit accurately and ease the tasks you are performing.
If you are enrolled in tasks requiring a firm grip, get gloves made of grippy materials that will allow you to handle oils, lubricants, and other slippery things better without causing spillage.
Determining the category from which your hands need protection is essential to choosing the ideal safety gloves. Your choice can depend on various considerations like:
Offering Everyday Protection
Workplaces like construction sites, industrial workplaces, and warehouses can pose multiple risks to your hands. You should carefully handle rough surfaces, sharp tools, solvents and grease, and heavy equipment.
When dealing with them daily, it is vital to protect your hands by wearing gloves that offer maximum grip and dexterity and can withstand rough usage. When you are using equipment that causes vibrations, like a jackhammer, prefer wearing gloves that allow vibration suppression.
Consider other factors like thermal protection from both hot and freezing temperatures.
The safety gloves that provide everyday protection come with different coatings to offer n extra layer depending on your work environment and the type of tasks you are to undertake.
Protection against Potential Cuts
If your tasks demand you to use cutting tools, then look for gloves that offer cut resistance. You will find many options in the market. Thus, consider researching and understanding the standards and resistance level they offer before making the final decision.
Protection against Chemical Risks
Wearing gloves that offer chemical resistance while handling abrasive and corrosive chemicals is a must. Corrosive chemicals or prolonged exposure to low-toxic chemicals can cause harm to your hands over a period.
Be cautious while choosing the gloves, and ensure that you change your gloves when they tear due to excessive use. It will reduce potential risks from handling chemicals.
Getting Acquainted with the Newest Technology
Manufacturers are continuously looking for new technologies to offer the best protection to workers. Safety gloves are used regularly as PPE, and several scopes of innovation exist to upgrade worker safety.
Educate yourself regarding innovations and technologies that have come up in PPE to reduce the risks of injuring your hands and arms.
Bottom Line
Hand Protection is of the utmost importance in any hazardous work environment. Therefore, when picking safety gloves and other protective gear, ensure that they are your size and specifically designed for your industry to offer optimal protection and help conduct the tasks with ease.
