OSHA has provided a strict guidelines to the industries in order to prevent accidental organ damage during the worktime. However, the employer are the one who conducts these practices and the sole decision of introducing the safety gear lies on them. It has been found in numerous reports that a large section of the industrial workers have had hand injuries.
The cut resistant gloves are often suggested prior to the other safety gears like respirators, eye glasses, protection vests,etc. There is a specific reason behind it that hands easily come in contact with the tools and equipments as compared to other body parts. It is highly suggested that an employer should take the charge of assigning the gloves to the employees. The market has large number of options available in the cut resistant glove category and one can easily purchase them even when the employer has not provided the same. Our safety lies in our own choices.
The gloves are lightweight and coated with the cut resistant fabric like kevlar and high grain leather. Various manufactures have their own construction guidelines and hence, it is important to choose the gloves that has an EN388 or ANSI rating embedded on them. These ratings are considered as industry specific standards that is essential to conclude the authenticity and prevent the customer abuse. They vary from level 0 to 5. The higher you go in the terminology, the better protection you will get.
Now a natural question arises on which level should you opt for your industrial purpose. Well, the opinion and suggestions vary globally. However, you can follow these guidelines to get a rough idea about it.
- Level 1 is usually used in automobile industries and for material handling purposes. The chances of cuts and abrasions are comparatively very low in these industries. To give an extra layer of protection to your skin, these gloves are recommended.
- Level 2 is where actually the cut resistance plays a role to an extent. The hazards like construction industries hazards, assembly jobs and cementing industries often use these gloves for their workers. These can take the impact and easily prevent the minute cuts and abrasions.
- Level 3 is usually used in the industries that handles the metallic components and glass accessories. It is important to understand how a glass can pierce the skin in the event of an accident.
- Level 4 gloves are usually not recommended until the industries are engaged in construction and handling heavy duty tasks. It is important to note the the level 4 gloves can be used in any industry but is specifically recommended to serve the critical purposes like sharp glass handling, metal remoulding and stamping and even in the food industries.
- Level 5 gloves are used situation where the work condition are considered extremely hazardous and the risk of hand injuries are broad in number. In the absence of these gloves, the situations may become fatal.
Cut resistance gloves are not just limited to the industrial purposes. You can even use it for DIY purposes such as chainsaw and hammering tasks. These gloves are even recommended for the tree extraction purposes. If you love cooking and handles the knives of various shapes and sharpness, cut resistant gloves can be very useful to you.
The industrial owners who have not yet implemented the cut resistance solutions for their worker’s safety are suggested to realise its importance. Any employee whether its a manager or a worker is an asset to the industry and his or her safety should become the primary objective of the employer.
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