Hand Protection
Identifying the Hazards
Evaluate the physical conditions you will subject the glove to and determine which types of resistance are most important. Physical conditions such as abrasion, cut, puncture and temperature extremes can influence chemical resistance.
Consider features needed for your application such as grip, length, dexterity, comfort, insulation, type of glove, and extent of coating.
Select the glove that offers you the optimum combination of features, benefits and resistance to both physical and chemical hazards.
For details of chemical resistance please refer to our Technical Helpdesk on 1850 303 304.
Select a thinner gauge unsupported glove when you need extra dexterity and tactile sensitivity. Choose a heavier gauge glove for greater protection and wear. Consider a flock-lined unsupported glove for extra comfort, insulation and wear. Choose a supported glove or a cut and sewn glove for added cut ,snag, puncture or abrasion resistance.
Choose the finish you need for the grip necessary for your application, rough, smooth, wrinkle, embossed, bisque, etc.
Select the glove by determining the depth to which your hand and arm will be immersed in a solution and the extent to which you need splash protection.
Ensure the glove selected is the correct size, gives you the right fit, dexterity and comfort.
For product protection, consider the toughness, fit, thickness and degree of disposability required. Use a style that provides the most important of these features and benefits.
Glove colours can often be used to help identify contamination or to designate critical work areas. Use the style most suited for your needs.
We have identified three main classes of hazard:
- Mechanical Hazard such as Abrasion/Cut/Puncture/Tear
- Chemicals and Micro-organisms
- Thermal Hazards Cold/Heat
Type Of Protectors Available
The prime protective capacity and inherent features of a glove are determined by the material composition of the product. Listed below are the most common glove materials to assist you in understanding their various properties.
Cotton and leather work gloves
Made from Natural fibres, comfortable and extremely versatile. A range of styles are available to cover a wide range of hazards from heat to abrasion. Depending on the construction/quality, natural fibre gloves can ultimately offer the highest levels of comfort and excellent wearer acceptability However, these properties are normally available on higher-end gloves. The general range of gloves available tends to be from the lower bracket consisting of mass produced imported products where consistent quality can be difficult to maintain.
Natural Rubber Latex
Natural Rubber has excellent abrasion, cut and tear resistance, as well as outstanding grip and temperature resistance. It is flexible and durable in temperatures ranging from 0ºF to 300ºF (-17ºC to 150ºC ).
Latex gloves are soft, flexible, and thin guage. They do not offer the same resistance as thicker gloves, but offer high levels of tactility and dexterity. These gloves can be disposable, making them ideal for single use applications such as laboratory work, tableting and packaging areas. Natural rubber, however, has poor flame resistance. It generally withstands all liquids that will mix with water, such as acetones and alcohols, but not those such as petroleum and oil-based solvents. Natural rubber is a hydrocarbon. It swells and degrades in contact with hydrocarbon fluids like kerosene and gasoline. It is not recommended where resistance to grease, oil and petroleum solvents is required.
Neoprene
Neoprene provides excellent resistance to a broad range of hazardous chemicals, including acids, alcohols, oils, fats, caustics, inks, grease, refrigerants, ketones, detergents and fertilizers. Neoprene provides good abrasion resistance, but not as good as PVC or Nitrile and good cut resistance, but not as good as natural rubber. Neoprene has excellent tactile strength and resembles natural rubber in feel and flexibility, but is much more chemical resistant and impermeable to gases, vapour and moisture. Neoprene also resists degradation, due to ageing, sunlight, ozone, oxidation and weather.
Neoprene performs well and resists degradation in continuous contact up to 200ºF (93ºC), and in intermittent to 300ºF (150ºC), hardening and becoming less resilient above that. Neoprene remains flexible and performs well in the range of -10VF (-23ºC ), below that it stiffens, and becomes brittle around -40ºF.
Nitrile
Nitrile is a synthetic rubber that provides excellent resistance to a wide range of solvents and hazardous chemicals, as well as puncture, cut, snag and abrasion. It offers excellent protection against oils, greases, acids, caustics and petroleum products.
Nitrile gloves are often soft, flexible, and thin gauge. They withstand less permeating chemicals in intermittent contact. Nitrile can also be used to make heavier gauge gloves that provide greater resistance to chemical and physical hazards. The thicker a nitrile glove, the greater its resistance to chemicals, however as the glove gains chemical and physical toughness, it loses its flexibility.
Depending on the glove type and application, nitrile may function well in temperatures ranging from 25ºF (-4ºC), to 300ºF (150ºC). Nitrile gloves have a better resistance to cuts and abrasion than neoprene or PVC gloves.
PVC
PVC is a synthetic thermoplastic polymer that provides excellent resistance to most acids, fats, caustics and petroleum carbons, in addition to outstanding abrasion resistance. Although flexible, PVC lacks the tactile sensitivity of rubber.
PVC can be used to make soft, flexible, thin gauge gloves, which do not offer the same resistance as thicker gloves but offer high levels of tactility and dexterity. These gloves are disposable making them ideal for single use applications such as laboratory work, tableting and packaging areas. PVC gloves are useful in alcohols and glycol ethers, but not in aldehydes, ketones, aromatic hydrocarbons, halogen compounds, heterocyclic compounds or nitro-compounds.
Depending on the particular glove and application, PVC gloves may function well in temperatures ranging from 25ºF (-4ºC) to 150ºF ( 65ºC ). PVC begins to melt around 180ºF (82ºC). For brief intermittent contact PVC gloves may be effective in temperatures up to approximately 212ºF (100ºC).
Butyl
Butyl rubber provides superior resistance to highly corrosive acids and is excellent for handling ketones and esters. This synthetic rubber provides the highest permeation resistance to gases and water vapours of any protective material used to make gloves. However, it does not offer the physical strength of natural rubber. Butyl rubber provides good chemical resistance to bases, alcohols, amines, amides, glycol ethers, nitro-compounds and aldehydes, but does not perform well in halogen compounds, aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbons.
Viton
Viton is the most chemically resistant of all the rubbers and protects against such toxic and highly permeating chemicals as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s), polychlorinated triphenyls, benzene and aniline. This fluoroelastomer provides excellent resistance to aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons and also chlorinated solvents. However viton does not work in ketones. It provides excellent resistance to gas and water vapours and is flexible, but offers minimal resistance to cuts and abrasion. For applications where viton is recommended for chemical resistance, and protection from physical hazards is also required, heavier-gauge viton gloves offer superior performance.
Antistatic/Conductive Gloves
Please contact our Technical Helpdesk on 1850 303 304 for full details on the ranges of products available
Clean room Gloves
Please contact our Technical Helpdesk on 1850 303 304 for full details on the ranges of products available
Care & Maintenance
Contaminated and worn gloves may fail to protect the hands from the very hazard they were designed for. Effective protection is maintained by regular glove replacement. Check the condition of gloves, inside and out, on a regular basis.
Disposal
All Gloves that come in direct or splash contact with chemicals should be disposed of either immediately or as appropriate.
Corporate Identification
It is possible to have gloves produced in corporate colours or manufactured with printed sections. Minimum quantities apply.
