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General Purpose Work Gloves - The Forgotten Risks

By: William Penworthy

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We’re all familiar with the idea of work gloves, since we know just how much care and protection is needed where our hands are concerned. Although we value the health and safety of our hands very much, we are often forced to put them through a great deal of risk and danger every day, either through work, industry or even household chores. From heavy machinery to the jarring vibrations of pneumatic drills, from razor sharp saw blades to hammers, we regularly subject our hands to a whole range of dangers, making the need for general purpose work gloves, or risk specific work gloves an absolute essential.

But there’s a problem when it comes to buying general purpose work gloves, and that is the fact that the very phrase ‘general purpose’ suggests that there is a single glove that will suit all people for all purposes. It is exactly this kind of assumption which has resulted in a great deal of accidents occurring. In many cases these accidents were as a direct result of having inappropriate protective gloves.

It is important, therefore, to consider more carefully the specific requirements for any work glove. In some cases a more task specific glove may be required. However, even in those many cases where general purpose work gloves are perfectly sufficient, there are still factors to consider, since in some cases gloves have been known to be the direct cause of an accident that would have been most unlikely to have happened if the person hadn’t been wearing gloves at all.

Let’s have a brief look at the types of task specific or risk specific work gloves available, and also those points worth bearing in mind even if the task itself seems to hold minimal risk, requiring only a general purpose safety glove.

The first category of work gloves is anti vibration gloves. These have padded sections over the palms which protect the wearer from the vibrations which may be experienced using certain types of machinery, such as pneumatic machinery or tools. Without such gloves the hands, skin, nerves, bones and tendons within the hand and wrist become damaged quite quickly, leading to a range of problems, including carpel tunnel syndrome, and conditions in which loss of feeling can occur. In extreme cases people have been known to suffer complete loss of feeling in their hands permanently through such damage. Wearing these kinds of work gloves is therefore essential for those likely to be using such equipment.

Cut resistant gloves are, as the name suggests, designed to offer added protection to those parts of the glove which may be subjected to the risk of cutting from tools or equipment such as saws and saw blades. Generally this includes extra protection to the back of the hand and the wrist, where the danger is greatest. The material is thoroughly tested to a very high international standard to ensure that maximum protection is afforded.

Anti abrasion gloves are important for those who may be working regularly with packaging or materials which could be abrasive in any way. Woodworkers may find these gloves valuable, and the gloves themselves offer protection along the palm and insides of the fingers. The rest of the glove is quite thin, since very often those who require protection against abrasives surfaces or materials also require a great deal of flexibility and dexterity.

Which brings us on to the issues regarding general purpose work gloves. These offer all round protection, which is ideal for those who need to undertake a wide range of tasks, each of which may offer only medium level risks. Clearly the level of protection against puncture, or cutting is likely to be far less than one of the risk specific gloves, but overall protection is still available to a high level.

However, general purpose still doesn’t mean one size fits all, and it will be important to make sure that work gloves fit perfectly. Whatever type of protective glove is used, if it doesn’t fit properly, then it can cause risks and dangers which would not otherwise even be present.

For example, work gloves that are too tight or too restrictive may limit dexterity, causing the wearer to have to carry out tasks more slowly, or simply become more clumsy, increasing the risk of accident. If the glove is too tight and uncomfortable workers may even remove the gloves completely, exposing them to a far greater degree of risk and injury.

Conversely wearing a glove which is to large or too loose can also cause a number of problems. When using machinery, any loose clothing can greatly increase the chance of something becoming caught, and if workers feel that loose gloves inhibit dexterity, movement, or increase the level of danger, they may be discarded, causing the worker to be exposed to a greater level of injury whilst the employer remains entirely liable.

Choosing work gloves, and in particular general purpose work gloves, should be done with great care and attention not only to the purpose, but also to the size, shape and realistic level of protection required for the range of tasks needing to be carried out.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Work Gloves | www.intersafety.co.uk | General Purpose Work Gloves

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