Industrial Work Gloves - Guide to the Best Protective Gloves

For many professions, industrial work gloves are an essential addition to the safety clothing, protecting the hands from damage. A good, high-quality pair of protective gloves offers superb protection from chemical and physical damage, without compromising dexterity and the ability to perform intricate tasks. There are countless types of industrial work gloves, designed to suit a multitude of industries, from fishing and mining to cooking and electronics. Despite the many types, they can be divided into a few broad categories.

Whether you need latex gloves to prevent counter staff spreading food-poisoning bacteria, or heavy duty gloves to ensure the safe operation of power tools, balancing price, quality and practicality is always a difficult task. Ultimately, especially in a work situation, you or your staff will be wearing them for extended periods, so ensuring that they are a comfortable fit is essential, before you have a mutiny on your hands.

In food, medicine and electronics, disposable gloves are an excellent way to guarantee sterile conditions and prevent contamination. These disposable polyethylene gloves provide a barrier without affecting dexterity, very important in food handling areas. One of the most common uses of disposable gloves is on garage forecourts, where they prevent diesel fuel from spilling onto the skin.

In medicine and scientific research, where contamination is a serious issue, disposable latex gloves are the protective glove of choice. Latex gloves are cheap and comfortable, maintaining sterility and protecting the hands from chemical spills. The major disadvantage of latex work gloves is that many people suffer allergic reactions to latex, and the talc used to lubricate the inside of the gloves can contribute to dermatitis. In these cases, specialist gloves are required, designed for people with sensitive skin.

Rubber industrial work gloves are often underappreciated, yet are an essential addition to the range of industrial work gloves on the market. Rubber gloves provide decent protection from chemicals and hot water, making them invaluable around the home and workplace. Rubber gloves are cheap and robust and provide excellent grip, although they may adversely affect dexterity and the ability to perform complex tasks. Rubber gloves are impervious and allow sweat to build up, which can lead to chafing and heat rash. Despite this, they are a mainstay of many industries, especially the ‘gauntlet’ rubber gloves that protect the entire forearm.

For many tasks, light industrial work gloves, made of flock-lined PVC, are cheap and resilient, offering good protection from strong chemicals and abrasion. They are common in the construction industry and the garden, where they are used for handling concrete or damp earth, without becoming waterlogged and uncomfortable. The main disadvantage is the discomfort, as they do not allow sweat to evaporate. In addition, light protective gloves offer only moderate protection from penetrating damage, such as cutting tools and thorns.

Light gardening gloves are woven from nylon or cotton and usually incorporate suede padding across the palm and fingers. These gloves are affordable and protect the hands from stinging plants, friction blisters and light abrasion. As with the PVC gloves, they offer little protection from sharp thorns and cutting implements, so light garden gloves are usually reserved for light work, where they permit a great deal of flexibility. Light gardening gloves are comfortable and allow the skin to breathe, making them popular with occasional gardeners. Better quality gardening gloves are made from goatskin or light leather, increasing the protection but also jack-up the price.

Medium industrial work gloves incorporate a tough plastic mesh, and heavy-duty fabric, giving good protection from physical and crushing damage, without adversely affecting manual dexterity. Medium protective gloves incorporate artificial rubber grips, as a pattern of ‘dots’ across the palm and fingers. Medium work gloves offer an excellent compromise between price, protection and grip, so they are commonly used in the construction industry. These industrial work gloves do not give a large amount of protection against heavy blows, but they act as a good barrier against cutting damage and their loose weave allows the skin to breathe.

Heavy gardening gloves are fabricated from leather or suede, usually incorporating heavy-duty suede reinforcement on the palm and fingers, to increase protection and grip. These gloves are more expensive than the other types, but provide grip, excellent protection and comfort, as the leather and suede allow moisture to evaporate. Heavy gardening gloves are a little stiff and can compromise dexterity, but they do soften and become more comfortable over time. For many applications, artificial materials are replacing leather, as a cheaper and more durable alternative, albeit with some loss of comfort.

For many tasks, such as using power tools, a rugged, heavy-duty work glove is the only choice, protecting the hands from physical damage. These gloves are usually made of suede or leather and incorporate tough plastic inserts in the fingers and knuckles, giving excellent protection against cutting and crushing damage. Heavy-duty industrial work gloves usually incorporate stretchable spandex at the finger-joints, to aid dexterity and comfort.

Despite this, these heavy duty protective gloves are usually cumbersome and uncomfortable, so buying a pair that fits snugly is essential. Heavy protective gloves are expensive but it is good practice to buy a good quality pair that will protect tha fingers from being severed by high-speed power tools or heavy weighs.

Other variations are available, designed to give high levels of protection in many industries. For welders and furnace workers, heat resistant gloves offer excellent protection, and insulated gloves protect hands frostbite under conditions of intense cold, such as freezer work and fishing. In butchery and fishing, where the exceptionally sharp blades used for cutting and filleting can wreak havoc, chain mail gloves give unrivaled protection protection.

Conclusion – Protective Gloves

In many industries, industrial work gloves offer protection from damage by chemicals and tools, whilst helping to maintain sterility and prevent contamination. Finding the best type of protective gloves is a matter of balancing comfort and cost with the level of protection required.

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