Why Cut-Resistant Gloves Are Essential For Preventing Injuries
One would expect that the wearing of PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) would be on the increase with better products, better availability of stock and general awareness of the risks in the workplace. This disappointingly is still not the case.
Hand injuries come second only to back injuries in the workplace. In spite of this, hand injuries still continue to rise, largely through non-compliance. A 2015 report showed that 12% of all non-fatal occupational injuries in the US were hand injuries.
Of these over 39% were due to cuts and lacerations. (US Bureau of Labour Statistics) In the UK, statistics show that in 2017 there were 609,000 non-fatal workplace injuries, of which 22% were handling or lifting (Labour Force Survey).
Studies continue to demonstrate that wearing correct safety gloves can prevent hand injuries by up to 70%. Some worrying statistics have been published which show :
30% of workers report that management does not enforce the wearing of safety gloves suitable for the tasks carried out.
21% of workers claim the failure is due to a lack of education by management in the safe use of gloves.
21% of workers report that safety gloves they are supplied with are not comfortable. This includes lack of dexterity, heat retention, lack of grip and poor resistance to cuts or slashes.
Of course, certain industries are much higher risk than others. Glass manufacture and production, glass handling, sheet metalwork, engineering, sheet metal handling, glazing, military, emergency services and similar all require specialist gloves.
This is where the Flexion Global Xscape and Dymacut glove ranges score so highly. In line with our Cut Resistant Clothing range, we have produced cut-resistant and cut-proof safety gloves that are made from a material which has the strongest fibres in the world. Combine this with a light weight and excellent dexterity we have a glove that ticks every box. You can find out more about the technology that goes into our gloves here.
The measurement of cut resistance is a precise science, and gloves can be categorised into Cut Levels. Our range largely conforms to EN388:2016 Cut Level C, with just a few exceptions.