Our hands are the most used body part at work and at home it’s also the most injured body part too.
With this toolbox we are going to talk about hand protection which is obviously to prevent your hands and fingers from getting hurt but also why we should wear it.
Did you know there are 27 bones in your hands and 30 muscles? That’s a lot of moving parts and it doesn’t even include all the tendons and ligaments that we have to hold them all together and keep them moving.
Cuts and lacerations to the hands are one of the top workplace injuries on our sites.
They hurt, and can side-line you for days, weeks and in some cases, even permanently.
If you think about it just about every job requires a worker to have healthy hands. 70% of hand injury’s recorded could have been prevented by wearing the correct hand protection.
What's En388 about?
EN388, is the European Standard for glove protection now if you all have a look at your gloves there should be a shield logo with EN388 on the top and some numbers below. The question is what do those numbers mean?
These numbers represent that gloves rating achievement to a range of mechanical tests. Tests are completed on Abrasion, Cut, Tear, Puncture and Impact.
| Test | Rating scales | Rating scale explained | ||
| 1st | Abrasion (cycle) | 1 to 4 | 1 = The lowest performance level whilst 4 = The highest performance level | X = Not Tested |
| 2nd | Cut (Coupe Test) | 1 to 5 | 1 = The lowest performance level whilst 4 = The highest performance level | X = Not Tested |
| 3rd | Tear (N) | 1 to 4 | 1 = The lowest performance level whilst 4 = The highest performance level | X = Not Tested |
| 4th | Puncture (N) | 1 to 4 | 1 = The lowest performance level whilst 4 = The highest performance level | X = Not Tested |
| 5th | Cut (TDM-100 Test) | A to F | A = The lowest performance level whilst F = The highest performance level | X = Not Tested |
| 6th | 6th Impact protection | P, F and X | P = Passed F = Failed | X = Not Tested |
Right type
Now there are many glove types and here are just a few,
General manual handling gloves
We should wear these working with tools, equipment or materials that can cause, cuts, lacerations, splinters, punctures, abrasions, or fractures.
Precision task gloves
We should wear these for low cut risks tasks that may require a degree of precision i.e. joinery, assembly. But can be used for handling of materials.
Chemical resistant gloves
Used when we work with harmful substances these could be liquid or dry that we can absorb through are skin they can give use irritations like dermatitis, chemical burns and in some cases lead to cancers.
It’s important though that you check your SDS that the material protecting you won’t react with the chemical you are working with. i.e. A good example is Latex. Latex degrades over time with hydrocarbons.
Impact resistant gloves
Designed to help prevent hand injuries in work environments with high risks of impact hazards. The gloves have shock absorbing properties and offer high durability for bending, stretching, and moving.
Right size
A common complaint is that the gloves are uncomfortable and awkward, which can make the job more difficult. But there are so many gloves out there right now designed for handling of big materials and equipment to installing small intricate components, so you need to make sure you get the right type of glove and the right size.
Let’s just think about that for a second you wouldn’t come to work wearing boots twice your size as it would be dangerous and impractical. So why would you wear gloves that don’t fit?
Remember we want dexterity and comfort to do our jobs so try a few sizes and make sure you get that snug comfortable fit.
To help we have size guides onsite to help you get an idea of what size you will be.
Right condition
Unfortunately gloves just won’t last forever as our tasks will slowly wear the gloves out causing them to tear and have holes. This is a lot better than having hurt hands however damaged gloves can pose a serious risk as they can get caught in machinery and plainly, they just aren’t protecting our hands.
So, make sure you regularly inspect gloves for signs of wear and tear and replace damaged gloves before commencing your task.
