About Work Gloves
Work gloves covers all industrial hand protection, from disposable medical gloves to more durable leather welding work gloves. While all work gloves need to pass certain safety tests, work gloves are often designed for specific industries and a pair of work gloves doesn’t offer universal protection. Work gloves for chemical safety have different properties and are made of different materials than insulated work gloves meant for outdoor jobs. Although materials vary between gloves designed for certain occupations, all work gloves are designed to protect hands from injuries or hazardous materials.
The most common type of work gloves are disposable gloves, which are used to both protect the wearer and the objects being handled. Typically, disposable work gloves are made of synthetic materials like latex, although nitrile work gloves and clear polyethylene gloves are other options. Disposable work gloves have different resistance grades, with a medical grade being the highest, although nitrile work gloves have the best solvent resistance. While disposable gloves are used in material handling, medical facilities, laboratories, and oil and gas industries, the gloves must be disposed of properly if used to handle any toxic materials or pathogens.
A different kind of work glove is a gauntlet work glove usually used for welding. A gauntlet glove protects more than the hand, extending up to the forearm, and is heat resistant. Most gauntlet work gloves are made of leather with Kevlar fiber stitches, although cowhide is used occasionally for better dexterity. While welders typically using gauntlet work gloves work in heat, the gloves are also insulated for cold work conditions. But, instead of a natural insulating material, gauntlet gloves are usually synthetically insulated work gloves.
Without the size and heat resistance of gauntlet gloves, other cold weather gloves are available for workers working in cold conditions. Brown jersey work gloves are common cold weather work gloves with 100-percent woven cotton that can be made with or without insulation. Mechanix cold weather gloves are a popular name brand of cold weather work gloves. These gloves, although typically mechanic work gloves, are made with an outer Taslan nylon shell for wind protection and Thinsulate insulated lining.
Cutting gloves are a type of work glove used best for heavy lifting occupations in which the workers need to protect their hands from abrasions, punctures, and cuts. These gloves are often made from a polyester-cotton knit dipped in nitrile or rubber, with the backs of the gloves not coated for breathability. For additional protection, some cutting gloves are also made with a stainless steel material. Most of these work gloves come with PVC dots on one or both sides of the gloves to give a better grip.
Work gloves are also needed for electrical safety. Electrical safety gloves differ from other work gloves in that they are lined with rubber to stop an electrical current. These gloves need to give the worker both electrical protection and grip ability, and, while the rubber reduces the electrical current, the outer shell of electrical gloves is typically leather, Kevlar, or another knit material.
For both men’s and women’s safety gloves, hand protection is the key in reducing work place injuries. With a pair of work gloves, regardless of industries, hand injuries are reduced by 60 to 70 percent. Before purchasing a pair of work gloves, make sure to find from your employer what types of resistance properties your gloves need, whether they require chemical resistant, heat resistant, cold resistant, or tear resistant waterproof work gloves.
