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2017Issue1

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Hand and Arm Protection

PPE Selection Guide 2017

Introduction to the guide

The days when you needed a “pair of gloves”to protect you at work have long sincedisappeared. Today such a simplisticapproach would be a recipe for disaster,leaving the employer open to prosecution,punitive damages and possibly corporatemanslaughter charges.

Fortunately the Personal ProtectiveEquipment (PPE) industry has kept pace withrelevant changes in the law and HarmonisedEuropean Standards to provide a huge ifsometimes confusing array of PPE to coveralmost every situation. The range of handprotection available is now so varied thatwhat was once a simple choice is now one ofthe most important decisions in theworkplace. Founded in 1986 UltimateIndustrial has been dealing with handprotection for almost 30 years and is ideallysuited to providing cost effective handprotection with a comprehensive rangecovering everything from leather toadvanced composite styles. Our handprotection range matches and often exceedsmany of the products available elsewhere atsome of the most competitive pricesavailable within the UK. With expert advicereadily available our staff are on hand toensure our customers get the correct productat the best possible price, usually within 24hours of placing an order.

A brief guide to some of the most relevantinformation and standards is provided in thisguide to assist with preliminary selectionwhich we are happy to discuss whenordering. We can also visit the point of use toassist with product selection and offerdistributors basic training on all our products.Copies of CE Certificates are available forimmediate download for ALL our productswhenever needed along with our ownTechnical Data Sheets.

Our hand protection guide.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Answering common questions ina handy guide.

Back to the basics…

To assist in preliminary glove selection a verybrief discussion on the different types ofgloves, along with the more commonmaterials used in yarns and coatings iscovered in this guide.

Knitted gloves

Knitted gloves are produced on automatedmachines ensuring consistency duringproduction. A variety of yarns can be usedwith carefully selected properties to giveexcellent cut resistance, dexterity andbreathability. A wide range of coatings canbe applied to enhance physical propertiessuch as grip, chemical protection and liquidresistance amongst others.

Cut & sewn gloves

Cut & Sewn gloves, as the name suggests aremade by sewing together the individualpieces of the glove usually by hand. This mayresult in slight differences in glove sizing, forexample, and also introduces possibleweaknesses in seams and stitching. Mostcommonly used in traditional leather glovesbut also used with other synthetic materials.

Supported gloves

Supported gloves are usually based on aknitted liner which is then dipped in thecoating material. These gloves offer good allround performance and are available withvarious coatings, nitrile rubber and pvc beingthe most common.

Un-supported gloves

Un-supported gloves are similar tosupported gloves but do not have the innerliner. These can be made from a variety ofmaterials such as latex, nitrile, pvc or mixturesof different compounds.

02

OUR REF: AceTherm - F

Extremely soft comfortable glove to wear incold conditions. Bright orange acrylic liner isbrushed on the inside for added insulationand comfort. Soft foam latex coating to palmenhances grip for both wet and dry handling.Excellent dexterity as coating remains flexiblein low temperatures. Ideal glove for low lightenvironments and outdoor wear.

More information available online at www.sitexindustrial.com



Glove materials

A wide and diverse range of materials areused in the manufacturer of hand and armprotection, stretching from the traditionalleather to the advanced synthetic yarns.

Leather

Leather is still widely used in a wide range ofPPE as it is cost effective, durable and easy toincorporate into a wide range of gloves. Splitleather is commonly used in weldinggauntlets and general purpose handlinggloves giving good grip and heat protection.Premium leathers from other animals are alsoused in more specialised gloves as they areoften still superior to synthetic alternatives.Leather gloves are still made essentially byhand and with the increasing cost of rawmaterials can often prove a more expensiveoption for less hazardous applications.

Cotton

Cotton offers good absorption ofperspiration and is comfortable to wear forlong periods. It can be used on its own ormixed with other fibres for improveddurability. Commonly used in terry or cutand sewn drill gloves it offers good insulationbut is not as durable as some syntheticalternatives.

Acrylic

Acrylic is soft and pliable and can be used onits own or mixed with other fibres. It is a lightfibre with good insulation properties againstcold and cost effective to produce. It mayalso be used as a liner to improve thermalinsulation.

Polyester

Polyester is a tough synthetic material whichcan be softer than nylon on the skin. Verydurable and easy to wash although it candistort at higher temperatures. Whilstflammable it tends to shrink away fromflames, self extinguish and absorbs very littlemoisture.

Our hand protection guide.

DID YOU KNOW?


Glove materials, from leatherto HPPE.

Polyamide

Polyamide or nylon is a tough synthetic fibre with good stretch and durability. It offers low lint properties when used alone but is often mixed with other fibres.

Aramid

The most common aramid fibre used in hand protection is Kevlar® made by DuPont™. All Sitex products use genuine Kevlar® made by approved Kevlar® licensees. It is soft, durable and washable (avoid chlorine bleach). It can be used on its own or in combination with other fibres such as steel for high levels of cut protection. It offers good protection from heat as it does not ignite and is often used in sleeves as well as gloves.

HPPE

HPPE is a high performance polyethylene which is light, flexible and very cut resistant. It can be used alone or with other fibres to increase cut protection. One of the biggest advantages of this fibre is its outstanding resistance to abrasion. Unlike aramid fibres, HPPE resists chlorine bleach commonly used in commercial laundering and is virtually unaffected by UV radiation. Because HPPE fibres are very smooth and lightweight they produce gloves which are very comfortable to wear. They also dissipate heat well meaning a wearers hands are less prone to sweating.

Composite fibres

Composite fibres are combinations where one fibre is either wrapped or coated with a different material. Typical examples could incorporate steel or glass cores for extreme cut protection while maintaining a natural glove feel. This is a particularly complex area to describe as the term applies to an almost infinite range of material combinations. While combinations which include glass fibre can offer very high cut protection in EN388 coup tests, the real world performance can be very different.

03DuPont™ and Kevlar® are trademarks or registered trademarks of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

Kevlar® has a tensilestrength that is 5 times thatof steel and will not melt orburn.

Kutlass® PU500 made from HPPE,high performance polyethylene.



PVC

PVC is perhaps one of the most common andeconomic coatings available but is often outperformed by nitrile rubber. Concerns overplasticisers (DEHP) used in recent years havelargely been addressed with moreenvironmentally acceptable alternatives nowin use. These gloves are relatively cheap toproduce and offer good resistance againstmany common chemicals especially whendouble dipped. PVC is particularly effectiveagainst water based compounds but canprove problematic with oil based products asit is oil based itself. One of the maindisadvantages of standard PVC is the qualityof grip on smooth surfaces. This lack of griprequires the user to exert more pressurewhen handling smooth, wet or oily items,resulting in increased hand fatigue and mayalso increase the risk of cuts as an objectmoves across the hand.

PVC foamed

PVC foamed coatings are a fairly recentdevelopment which help address theproblems with lack of grip on wet or oilyitems. The sponge like properties helpconduct the liquid away from the point ofcontact and therefore require less pressurefrom the user to maintain grip. Items are lesslikely to slip in the hand thus helping reducefatigue and reduce the risk of cuts.

Nitrile

Nitrile, or Nitrile Butadiene Rubber, offerssimilar properties to PVC but tends to bemore durable and able to resist highertemperatures. Commonly used in disposablegloves as a replacement for latex but widelyused for general purpose gloves. It isparticularly suitable for use against oil basedcompounds, but water based surfactants cancause a loss of tensile strength and softeningof the coating.

Nitrile foamed

Nitrile foamed is used to improve the wet oroily grip properties of gloves. The slightlyporous surface helps direct liquids from thepoint of contact between surfaces whichmeans a user needs less effort to grip an itemcompared to non foamed coatings. Similaradvantages to foamed PVC with reducedeffort needed to grip oily or wet objects,better dry grip and the potential to reducethe cut risk.

Latex

Latex is a natural rubber which has beenwidely used for many years especially inmedical examination gloves. It has excellentstretch and flexibility and when used as acoating offers outstanding grip on dry items.Unfortunately the wide use of this productespecially within the healthcare field hasresulted in an increase in latex allergies incertain susceptible individuals.

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CottonPolyester &

Nylon

HighTenacity

NylonKevlar® HPPE

Glass Fibre& Nylon

Steel &Synthetic

HPPE, Nylon& Glass

Kevlar® Steel

CutResistance

Poor Poor Average Very good Very good Good Excellent Very good Excellent

TearResistance

Average Average Average Excellent Excellent Poor Excellent Excellent Excellent

Comfort Very good Very good Good Good Excellent Excellent Poor Good Good

HeatResistance

Good Poor Average Very good Poor Poor Poor Poor Average

ColdResistance

Good Average Good Very good Average Average Average Average Average

SweatAbsorption

Very good Poor Poor Average Good Poor Poor Good Poor

Elasticity Poor Average Poor Poor Poor Poor Poor Poor Poor

Yarn Costs Very low Very low Low High High Low Medium High High

Material Comparison .

The different glove coatings.


Our selection guides to eyewear, head protection, respiratory protection, work at height, hearing protection, workwear and clothing and footwear.

How Sitex are providing solutions to protect the user and the environment.

DID YOU KNOW?

All of Sitex branded PVC dipped gloves and gauntlets are made using phthalate free plasticisers and are fully REACH® compliant.



At Sitex, we develop and use a range of innovative coatings and technology to ensure our branded gloves offer market leading dexterity and protection.

Innovation at yourfingertips™

One of the problems commonly encounteredwith coated gloves is a lack of grip on wet oroily items. NFT™ is a unique, proprietarytechnology that provides unrivalled grip toaddress this issue. This works in a similar wayto the tread on a tyre, directing the liquidaway from the contact surface for increasedgrip. Micro capillaries draw oil and wateraway from the surface of the glove,improving grip and reducing user fatigue.NFT® technology also provides class leadingabrasion resistance of 25,000 cycles, makingthis coating extremely durable, whilstmaintaining superb dexterity.

Multi-layer

All the advantages of the NFT® range butwith the NFT® coating applied over the top ofa flat nitrile base layer. This has theadvantage of producing a waterproof glovewith outstanding wet or oily grip.

This innovative process produces an extradipped layer on the thumb crotch area. Thisextra layer strengthens the potentiallyvulnerable part of the glove resulting in amore durable product with greater longevity.

OEKO-TEX®

The OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 is anindependent testing and certification systemfor textile raw materials, intermediate andend products at all stages of production.OEKO-TEX® testing for harmful substancesalways focuses on the actual use of thetextile. The more intensive the skin contact ofa product, the stricter the human ecologicalrequirements to be met. The requirement forcertification of textile products according toOEKO-TEX® Standard 100 is that allcomponents of an item have to comply withthe required criteria without exception – thatmeans in addition to the outer material anysewing threads, linings, prints etc. as well asnon-textile accessories such as buttons, zipfasteners, rivets etc must also comply.

HPT® is a uniqueproprietary technology

which produces a coating with outstandingcomfort and performance. HPT® providesexceptional wet grip as the HydropellantTechnology™ repels liquids from the contactsurface. The encapsulated air molecules havethe added advantage of helping cushion thehand from minor vibrations for increaseduser comfort.

Sanitized® Protectionfrom the inside out.

The Sanitized® hygiene function isincorporated into many of our gloves tominimise bacteria therefore minimisingodour development and promotingfreshness. The active biocidal substance usedis zinc pyrithione.

05

PU (Polyurethane)

PU or polyurethane coatings tend to be thinner than other alternatives and therefore offergreater dexterity in delicate handling applications. Solvent based PU performs well in oily,wet and dry handling applications and is slightly porous offering a degree of breathability. Itoffers good elasticity, is extremely tough and remains flexible across a wide temperaturerange. PU does, however, have some disadvantages in practice, the slight porosity can allowliquids to penetrate and it is not particularly good at resisting abrasion. PU gloves tend torely on the glove base layer to provide wear resistance while the impregnated coatingprovides grip.


PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

OUR REF: Adept™

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Nylon and Lycra blend liner providing one ofthe most comfortable and supportive gloveson the market. Patented NFT® coating,specially developed for when precisionhandling is required, produces unrivalled gripin dry, wet and oily conditions. Provides classleading abrasion resistance greater than25,000 cycles. Certified to the Oeko-Tex®standard 100 for environmentally friendlytextiles. Enhanced breathability working inconjunction with the Sanitized®hygienefunction provides prolonged freshness,protection and outstanding wearer comfortover heavily extended uses.

Glove technology.Innovations in handprotection.

DID YOU KNOW?

Our suppliers are an official licensed partner of Sanitized® AG.

The cut test itself

While the standard coup test in EN 388 givesa reasonable indication of cut protection it isfar from ideal in real situations. The movingblade tends to give better results on glasscomposite yarns and ceramics as they aremore slippery and harder to cut with amoving blade and also blunt the blade. Steelcomposites on the other hand tend to slowand jam the blade as there is metal to metalcontact.

Gloves, like any product can be engineeredto pass a specific test which seems to be thecase with lower cost gloves incorporatingglass fibres. This type of construction cangive outstanding results in the EN 388 cuttest but very poor results in real applications.Glass is very brittle and breaks down underimpact and cut pressure resulting in verypoor performance in real life applications.Imagine trying to cut a glass bottle with aknife, the blade will slide over the surfacewith little damage but if you did the samething with a metal cylinder, the knife wouldbe harder to pull over the surface. In ourexperience Cut Level 5 gloves incorporatingglass fibre tend to give poorer performancein real world situations than Cut Level 5gloves based on steel or other yarns.

It should also be taken into consideration thefact that there is no upper limit on Cut Level5 results. This means that Cut Level 5 glovescan have huge differences in real worldapplications where one can have a cut indexof 20 and another 100 yet both are marked asCut Level 5.

Please also bear in mind that the Cut Level isnot a linear measurement, so for example

EN 388 standard.

DID YOU KNOW?


Cut index in more detail.

a Cut Level 5 glove has 4 times moreresistance to cuts than a Cut Level 3 glove.

What else should be considered?

Do you actually need a cut resistant gloveat all. Seems a strange thing to consider, butlike all PPE requirements it is always the bestoption where possible to consider ways ofremoving the hazard in the first place. If it isnot possible to avoid the hazard then can itbe reduced to a lower level risk.

Try it. Simply put, try different gloves in theworkplace. A glove costing twice as muchbut lasting three times as long as a cheaperalternative is still a better choice. You maynot need a Cut Level 5 glove and a lower costalternative may be a viable alternative.

Find a good supplier. Ultimate Industrialhave been selling safety gloves since 1986and offer a vast depth of knowledge in thisfield. With a varied range based on nearly 30years of experience we can offer the advicethat can really make a difference.

Is the glove actually tested. With a lot ofcheaper imports and more and more “gloveexperts” entering the market it is moreimportant than ever to check the test resultsclaimed by the supplier. Think of CE asstanding for “Check Everything”. Ask yoursupplier for the CE Certificate for the gloveand then check it carefully, is it to the actualglove concerned or a “similar” product. Is thesuppliers name actually on the certificate, isto the correct standard and can you verify itwith the testing house? Ultimate Industrialwill happily supply copies of certification forany of our products on request.

06

EC Directive was adoptedon 21st January 1989 andcame into force on 1st July1992.

Our KKSLsleeves madefrom Dupont®Kevlar®,available in10,14,18 and22 inch.

EN388 Cut index

Although covered in our ‘Hand and arm protection: standards and regulation’ guide, it isworth exploring arguably the most crucial, but still ambiguous, components of EN388 infurther detail - the cut index.

The Cut Index is the test which has come to the forefront in recent years and is the one mostsafety officers look at first. It’s a very simple choice on the face of it.

I need to protect my workers from cuts so I will give everybody the cheapest Cut Level 5glove I can find. After all, every cut level 5 glove offers the same level of protection, they areall cut proof and should last the same length of time. Simple….well no, not in reality. Cut level5 gloves vary considerably in cut performance and are NOT cut proof. There are a wide rangeof factors to take into consideration when choosing the correct glove and we will try andcover a few of the more important considerations below.



1 3 4 3

EN 388

Abrasion CutTear

Puncture

EN 407EN 407

X 1 X X X XContact Heat

Does the glove fit. “One size” really doesn’tsuit all. A poorly fitting glove often requiresthe user to grip harder and increases the riskof the object sliding in the hand, increasingthe risk of cuts.

What coating (if any) is needed. Glovecoatings increase grip and physicalproperties, protect the user fromcontaminants and prolong glove life.

What about dexterity. Generally speakingthe thinner the glove the better as long as itcan offer the required protection. If the userneeds dexterity, they generally need athinner glove or they will be tempted toremove it for delicate operations.

Stock Levels. Choosing the correct glove ispointless if you then find you can’t find whereto buy it. Ultimate Industrial imports directlygiving complete control over the supplychain and holds some of the largest stocks ofPPE in the UK.

Wear the glove. As with any PPE it is onlyeffective if used. If a glove is uncomfortableor impedes the user then there is always achance they simply won’t wear it.

The cut Index in practice

One of the most common applications for cutresistant gloves is in the handling of sheetsteel and we will consider some of thepractical considerations below.

1. Do you have to handle the material? Isit possible to use mechanical aids to handlethe steel or to automate the whole process.This is clearly the best option but is rarelypractical or cost effective in reallity.

EN Standards.

DID YOU KNOW?

EN388: Cut index in more detail.

07

EN 388 – Blade Cut Test(Coup type) is a long-established test, in usesince 1994, and forms partof EN 388:2003 for glovematerials.

2. How does the test data relate to theapplication. The EN388 tests for cut arecarried out using a knife blade which whileon the face of it are the same as a sheet ofsteel. In reality sheet steel can have more of atearing rather than cutting action as the edgeis rarely smooth. While the EN388 test givesan indication of performance it isfundamentally flawed as the two steel edgescan be very different.

3. Edge properties. Thin steel has a smallerburr when cut by stamping than thicker steel.Rougher edges need thicker gloves withmore abrasion resistant coatings to beeffective. When used with thicker steel,gloves need a higher tensile strength and thecoating becomes more of a consideration.

4. Shape. Often overlooked, the shapebecomes important when there are longedges which may move through the hand.While in practice it is difficult to avoid someslipping through the hand careful selectionof coating can improve grip, especially onoily items, to keep this to a minimum. Thetendency to use the hand to slow items asthey come off conveyors should also beavoided if possible.

5. Weight. It is fairly obvious that heavierobjects with a sharp edge will have a greatercutting potential than lighter ones. Thickerheavyweight gloves should be used withheavier items because they increase cutprotection and can also cushion the hand tosome extent.



£6,500+Every new certificationprocess can cost between£250 to over £6000 and takeweeks to complete.


Our selection guides to eyewear,head protection, respiratoryprotection, work at height, hearingprotection, workwear and clothing andfootwear.

An explanation of the standards andregulations for all types of differentPPE.

6. How hard is the material. There are ahuge range of steel types available from mildto stainless, tempered, surgical etc withdifferent edge properties. The harder typeswill usually need gloves incorporating steelto resists these products effectively.

7. Surface finish. Sheet metal is rarely dry asoils and lubricants are regularly used as partof the manufacturing process. Oily surfacesbenefit from gloves with “foamed” coatingswhich have a degree of absorption toconduct the oil away from the contact area.In certain applications, such as tightening anut, some degree of slip may beadvantageous.

8. Lubricants and chemicals. Steel mayhave a residual process coating frommachining or surface treatments. As well asbeing able to grip the steel, the user shouldalso be protected from possiblecontamination. There is little point in using acoating which will be degraded by any of thechemicals used. The basic properties ofcommon coatings has been dealt with earlierin this document.

EN Standards.


EN388: Cut index in more detail.

08

9. Puncture versus cuts. The end result of apuncture wound is very much the same as acut as far as the user is concerned. Highly cutresistant gloves are almost exclusively ofknitted construction which is particularlyineffective in protecting against puncturedue to its open weave. As explainedelsewhere, the puncture test can be veryinconsistent on knitted gloves as the testpoint may hit a fibre or the gap betweenfibres. In this case the glove coating canprovide more protection than the glove shell.

10. Moving edges. No glove can protecteffectively against a continuously moving orrotating blade or edge. In fact more seriousinjury can result when wearing highly cutresistant gloves because if the glove catcheson the blade it can drag the users hand, armor even whole body into the machinery.


Our selection guides to eyewear,head protection, respiratoryprotection, work at height, hearingprotection, workwear and clothing andfootwear.

The other components of EN388explained.

Testing houses

Our suppliers only use trusted and accredited testing houses to certify our products. Among many, these include:



PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

OUR REF: Kutlass® PU500G

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

A specialised blend of advanced yarns providecut level 5 protection in a lightweight, highlyversatile glove. The incorporation of spandexvastly increases comfort and fit. Flexible PUcoating provides superb dexterity and grip.The breathable liner reduces perspiration andworks in conjunction with the Sanitized®hygiene function to provide a fresh,comfortable and odour free experiencethroughout extended usage.

5 3

Colour CodedR a n g e

P a r t o f t h e

TM

T: +44 (0) 208 123 8733 W: www.sitexindustrial.comE: [email protected]

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our hand protection guide.€¦ · nitrile nitrile, or nitrile butadiene rubber, offers similar...

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