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Tips for Choosing the Right Safety Gloves
Safety gloves are essential to protect yourself from injury on the job site. A fall could lead to serious injuries such as broken bones, lacerations, and worse. In addition, wearing safety gloves prevents dirt, oil, chemicals, and other debris from entering your skin. But choosing the right pair of safety gloves isn’t always easy. There are so many different types and brands available that it’s tough to narrow down the choices.
To make things easier for you, here are tips for choosing the right safety glove:
Reasons You Need to Wear Safety Gloves
Safety gloves are used by people working in hazardous environments in order to protect themselves against potential hazards such as chemicals, sharp objects, etc. Here are five reasons you need to wear safety gloves:
- Prevent Injury: When working on wet surfaces, such as concrete, asphalt, tile grout, or driveways, you need to wear safety protection. A slip or fall could cause severe damage to your hands, arms, back, legs, feet, or head. Gloves can help prevent injury. They allow you to grip objects without getting your hands wet. This helps you avoid slips and falls that may lead to serious injuries.
- Protect Against Contaminated Surfaces: If you encounter hazardous materials or chemicals in your workspace, safety gloves are an important tool. The chemical composition of certain substances can burn your skin if they come into contact with it. For example, antifreeze, which contains ethylene glycol, can cause severe burns. So, by wearing safety gloves, you can avoid this potentially dangerous substance.
- Maintain Proper Hygiene: Fungal infections can spread quickly on exposed parts of your body. That’s why hygiene is so important when working on projects. If you don’t wash up after working on a construction site or forget to wash construction site materials, then you run the risk of contracting deadly diseases. Wearing safety gloves allows you to maintain good hygiene. By protecting your hands, you avoid spreading germs and bacteria. This helps you to stay healthier and feel better overall.
- Improve Your Grip: If you don’t wear gloves, then you are putting yourself at risk for injury. Wearing gloves gives you a better grip on whatever object you touch. This means that you won’t drop items, whether it’s a ladder, shovel, hammer, or anything else. By improving your grip, you can reduce the number of accidents and injuries associated with them.
- Stay Safe: Finally, wearing safety gloves ensures that you stay safe—both during the project and after it is completed. For example, if you cut yourself while using a power saw, your fingers can bleed profusely and the blade can slice off pieces. With safety gloves, you can stop the bleeding and keep the cuts from getting infected. Plus, you can operate the machinery safely and easily.
Materials Used in Making Safety Gloves
Safety gloves are essential for protecting yourself against injuries. They are made of different materials such as leather, rubber, neoprene, vinyl, etc. Various safety gloves are available on the market. The most common ones include:
- Leather gloves: Leather gloves are the most popular type of safety glove. They are durable and comfortable. However, they are expensive.
- Cotton: Unlike leather, cotton does not provide much protection against cuts or abrasions. Cotton absorbs moisture quickly after absorbing water and becomes soft. This makes it ideal for gloves to prevent chafing. The gloves made using cotton tend to be lightweight and breathable. Since cotton doesn’t provide much protection, it is not widely used for making safety gloves.
- Rubber gloves: Rubber gloves are inexpensive and come in various sizes. They are soft and flexible. However, they are not as durable as leather gloves.
- Vinyl gloves: Vinyl gloves are lightweight and flexible. They are cheap and affordable. However, they do not provide much protection against cuts and abrasions.
- Neoprene gloves: Neoprene gloves are the safest option. They are extremely durable and offer excellent protection against cuts and abrasive surfaces. However, they are heavy and bulky.
So, what should you choose? The use of different materials for making safety gloves depends largely on the requirements of the end users (i.e., industrial workers). If you need sturdy, protective gloves at affordable prices, then leather should be your first choice.
How to Choose the Right Safety Gloves
There are several things to consider when choosing safety gloves. Choosing the right safety glove depends on what type of job you do and where you work. Here are some tips to choose the right pair of gloves:
Select a glove that fits comfortably: When selecting safety gloves, choose ones that fit properly. The size of your hand determines the size of the glove you should buy. Choose gloves that fit snugly over your entire hand. This will prevent blisters and chafing. Make sure that the gloves cover your knuckles and fingers.
Consider texture: Some people find some textures uncomfortable. Textured surfaces, such as wool, felt or suede, tend to shed fibres. Smooth materials, such as plastic, nylon, or polyester, offer good traction.
Consider Material Type: Leather gloves are generally thicker than vinyl gloves. Vinyl gloves are often easier to clean and maintain.
Consider Comfort Level: Comfort level refers to how much padding there is inside the glove. Padding helps absorb impact and shock. Padded gloves are best for jobs that require heavy use. Non-padded gloves are better for tasks that don’t involve heavy use.
Consider Colour: Colour is important when choosing safety gloves. Some colours indicate specific hazards. For example, yellow gloves warn workers about toxic fumes. White gloves tell workers to avoid contact with electrical equipment. Green gloves warn workers about chemical spills. Blue gloves warn workers about radioactive substances.
Consider Durability: Durability refers to how well the glove holds up after repeated use. Gloves that hold up well after multiple uses are better than those that fall apart quickly.
Consider Cost: Cost is another factor to consider when choosing safety gloves. Safety gloves are expensive. The cost of safety gloves varies depending on their quality and durability.
Consider Maintenance: Maintenance refers to how easily the gloves can be cleaned and maintained. Gloves that need little maintenance are better than those that need frequent cleaning.
Consider Your Work Environment: Work environment refers to the conditions under which you work. For example, if you work outdoors, you may want to choose gloves that are water resistant. If you work indoors, you may want to select gloves that are flame retardant.
Consider Your Job Description: Job description refers to the type of work you perform. For example, construction workers often need thick gloves. Labourers often need thin gloves.
In conclusion, safety gloves are an important part of any workplace. They protect workers from getting injured. Therefore, it is very important to choose the right material for making them.
At Western Sydney Building Supplies, we have a range of different safety gloves and PPE categories for all types of works. Contact us today to ensure you have the right work gloves and personal protective equipment.
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