The Gloves Are... ON!

If there’s one part of us that really deserves to be protected, it’s our hands. Not only are they one of the most sensitive areas of our bodies but losing the use of one or both of them has life changing consequences.

At home, we wear gloves to protect ourselves when we’re doing baking, or out in the snow, or when we’re cleaning or gardening. Shouldn’t the same be applied at work?

Employers have a legal responsibility to manage risks in the workplace, and to provide the correct equipment to minimise them. This includes gloves and other PPE.

What are the risks?

Each workplace has its own unique risks, but the most common hand injuries stem from:

• Coming into contact with any chemical products
• Using machinery
• Using knives or other sharp tools
• Using electrical devices
• Inadequate protection from temperature extremes

How do these risks affect your hands?

Unprotected, the risks described above can have serious consequences for your hands:

• The skin can be pierced, burned or react to products
• Nerves can be severed or damaged
• Bones can be crushed or broken
• Tendons can be lacerated or torn
• The fingernail and the underlying nailbed can be bruised
• Ligaments can be torn or permanently stretched
• Fingers can be dislocated or twisted

Having just 1 finger out of action for even a short period can have profound consequences on a person. Have you ever tried to tie a shoelace with your thumb and 3^rd finger?

So where do I start?

Your company should have risk assessments in place which will advise which Personal Protective Equipment is necessary to carry out a task. Different tasks require different protection; what is adequate for a picker might not be enough for a manufacturing operator.

From the risks established in your assessments, you will be able to identify what protection your gloves need to offer, ie:

• Mechanical handling
• Manual handling
• Arc Flash
• Anti-vibration
• Cut resistant
• Cold resistant
• Heat resistant
• Chemical resistant, etc.

Involve the wearers:

Employers are responsible to ensure that adequate PPE is worn at work. This means that even if PPE is provided, but an employee refuses to wear it, in the event of an incident, the responsibility lies on the employer’s shoulders.

The most common objections employees have to wearing gloves are:

• They don’t fit
• They’re uncomfortable
• They cause rashes or allergic reactions
• They aren’t breathable so hands feel sweaty
• They don’t provide a high enough level of protection

There is a wide variety of gloves for most applications on the market. Your reluctant employees’ objections can be overcome by providing them with a selection of suitable gloves they can pick from or by including them in the purchasing process.

The most important thing is to make sure the right gloves stay ON while working, and what better way to ensure this than to give the employee a pair of gloves they enjoy wearing!

A PPE distributor can offer you a wide range of features, sizes, makes and models.

Have you got all the information you require?

Do you have other PPE requirements and need guidance?

Check our other articles…

Knights Corporate Workwear supplies uniforms, workwear and PPE throughout the UK. Contact us if you want help improving your corporate image.

Knights: Keeping you safe and smart.