Hand Protection (Safety Gloves) uses and types

 Hand Protection(Safety Gloves, Uses & Types)

What does Hand Protection mean?

Hand protection is saving one’s hands from any sort of injury at work. Hands are vital tools of human being and therefore most vulnerable to injuries as well. Very often, hands are exposed to hazardous conditions such as sharp edges, pinch points, rotary machinery, hot objects, electricity, splinters and chemicals etc. If hands are not protected and get injured, they will last for lifetime. 

Types of Hand Gloves

1. Fabric or Cotton Gloves

2. Latex & Nitrile Gloves

3. Leather Gloves

4. Aluminum Gloves

5. Kevlar Gloves

6. Puncture-Resistant Gloves

7. Impact & Vibration Resistant Gloves

8. Chemical & Liquid Resistant Gloves

     a. Butyle Rubber Gloves

     b. Natural Latex & Rubber Gloves

     c. Neoprene Gloves

     d. Nitrile Rubber Gloves

1. Fabric or Cotton Gloves

The gloves protect the worker's skin from the tools and materials he's handling by providing a thin, breathable layer. Wearing fabric gloves provides minimal protection against puncture hazards, jagged

materials, and open flames. Nevertheless, they help keep hands clean and prevent minor scrapes and abrasions. To add warmth to larger safety gloves, fabric gloves are often worn as liners. 

2. Latex & Nitrile Gloves

Latex and nitrile gloves are commonly used in laboratories and healthcare settings, preventing:

•       Biohazards

•       Oils

•       Solvents

•       Grease

•       Chemicals

3. Leather Gloves

Gloves made of leather are comfortable, spark-resistant, and resistant to sharp or abrasive surfaces. Additionally, they protect the wearer from moderate levels of heat, such as that produced by welding or friction from ropes that slide across the palms.

4. Aluminum Gloves

Aluminum gloves are designed to resist heat. They are used in welding
operations, furnace and foundry work, and in laboratories that use high-temperature ovens. Their insulating and reflective properties can protect against temperatures of up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Kevlar Gloves

Kevlar is a heat-resistant para-aramid synthetic fiber whose molecular structure has many interchain bonds that give it its strength. As a result, this material has had a significant impact on industrial hand protection, allowing for the creation of lightweight and durable gloves with remarkable resistance to cuts and abrasions.

Kevlar is also used to make cut-resistant liners for a variety of other glove styles.

6. Puncture-Resistant Gloves

Gloves for preventing punctures to the hands are specifically designed to
prevent punctures. Gloves made of woven Kevlar or gloves imitating fish skin are available. In the latter, a scale- or flake-like structure deflects penetration from needles, shards, and other puncture hazards.

7. Impact & Vibration Resistant Gloves

Vibrations appear harmless, but prolonged exposure to them can cause harm. Increasingly, safety professionals are becoming aware of hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) and the need to protect workers from it. Protection comes in the form of personal protective equipment. Specifically, gloves that absorb impact and reduce the hand’s exposure to vibrations.

8. Chemical & Liquid Resistant Gloves

Chemical absorption through the skin can lead to serious immediate or long-term health effects. Referring to a product's safety data sheet (SDS) will help you identify the proper level of protection required to keep workers safe while handling chemical products.  

a. Butyle Rubber Gloves

These are typically used when workers will be in extended contact with a chemical substance. They also offer resistance to water and steam permeation.

Butyl rubber is also used for protection against materials such as:

•       Ketones, esters, alcohols

•       Alkali

•       Nitric acid

•       Sulfuric acid

•       Hydrochloric acid

•       Peroxides

b. Natural Latex & Rubber Gloves

Latex and rubber gloves are intended for incidental contact situations.

They are suitable for biological hazards and water-based liquids. 

c. Neoprene Gloves

Typically used in extended contact situations with materials such as:

•       Acids

•       Bases

•       Alcohols

•       Fuels

•       Peroxides

•       Hydrocarbons

•       Hydraulic fluids

•       Gasoline

•       Organic acids 

d. Nitrile Rubber Gloves

Nitrile rubber is used to manufacture versatile, general-use gloves and can be suitable for incidental contact (such as disposable exam gloves). Thicker nitrile gloves are used in situations where extended contact is intended.

Nitrile gloves can protect the wearer from:

•       Solvents

•       Petroleum oils

•       Gasoline

•       Greases

•       Some acids and bases