Impact 2 Safety Gloves: Hazards, Features, and Limitations

This document outlines the hazards that Impact 2 rated safety gloves protect against, their specific safety features, and their limitations. It is crucial to understand these aspects to ensure appropriate glove selection and usage in various work environments.

Hazards Protected Against

Impact 2 rated safety gloves are primarily designed to protect against:

Impact hazards: These gloves are engineered to reduce the force of impact resulting from blows to the hands. This is particularly important in industries where workers handle heavy objects or are at risk of being struck by moving equipment or falling debris.
Abrasion: Gloves can protect against general abrasion hazards.
Sharp Edges: Gloves can protect against less severe sharp edge hazards.

Specific Safety Features

The specific safety features of Impact 2 rated gloves typically include:

Impact-resistant padding: Strategically placed padding, often made of materials like gel, foam, or reinforced polymers, absorbs and dissipates impact forces.
Reinforced construction: Durable materials and reinforced stitching enhance the glove's ability to withstand impacts and abrasions.
Textured or non-slip surfaces: These features improve grip and control, reducing the risk of dropped objects and related hand injuries. The need for textured or non-slip surfaces to improve grip must also be considered.
Proper Fit: Gloves should fit properly. Make sure gloves cover all of the exposed skin. Gloves should be long enough so that there is no gap between the glove and sleeve.

Limitations

It is important to recognize the limitations of Impact 2 rated safety gloves:

No glove material will remain impervious to a specific chemical forever. No one glove material is resistant to all chemicals. Some chemicals will travel through or permeate the glove in a few seconds, while other chemicals may take days or weeks.
Limited protection against certain hazards: While Impact 2 gloves offer impact protection, they may not provide adequate protection against other hazards such as cuts, punctures, extreme heat, or chemical exposure. It is important to know the performance characteristics of gloves relative to the specific hazard anticipated; e.g., chemical hazards, cut hazards, flame hazards, etc. These performance characteristics should be assessed by using standard test procedures.
Reduced dexterity: The padding and reinforcement in impact-resistant gloves can sometimes reduce dexterity and tactile sensitivity, which may affect the ability to perform fine motor tasks. Determine the flexibility and touch sensitivity needed for the task. This need may significantly limit the thickness of glove material that can be used.
Potential for heat stress: Protective clothing can contribute to heat stress.
Not a replacement for engineering controls: Chemical protective clothing should not be considered as a replacement for engineering control methods. However, there are often few alternatives available, or an emergency (e.g., a spill) requires their use. Since clothing is the last line of defence for protecting the skin, care must be taken to ensure it provides the level of protection expected.

Selection and Use Considerations

Selecting and using the correct safety gloves involves several key considerations:

Hazard assessment: Conduct a thorough hazard assessment to identify all potential hand hazards in the workplace, including impact, abrasion, cuts, punctures, chemical exposure, and temperature extremes. In order to assess the need for PPE the following steps should be taken: a. Survey. Conduct a walk-through survey of the areas in question. The purpose of the survey is to identify sources of hazards to workers and co-workers. Consideration should be given to the basic hazard categories: (a) Impact. (b) Penetration. (c) Compression (roll-over). (d) Chemical. (e) Heat. (f) Harmful dust. (g) Light (optical) radiation.
Glove selection: Choose gloves that provide adequate protection against the identified hazards, considering the specific tasks and working conditions. Select the protective equipment which ensures a level of protection greater than the minimum required to protect employees from the hazards
Fit and comfort: Ensure that gloves fit properly and comfortably to encourage consistent use and maintain dexterity. Careful consideration must be given to comfort and fit. PPE that fits poorly will not afford the necessary protection. Continued wearing of the device is more likely if it fits the wearer comfortably. Protective devices are generally available in a variety of sizes. Care should be taken to ensure that the right size is selected.
Training: Provide training to employees on the proper selection, use, care, and limitations of safety gloves. Provide the necessary education and training required, which includes:

what are the hazards of skin contact with the chemical/material,
what are the limitations of the gloves,
what could happen and what to do if the gloves fail, and
when to dispose of or to decontaminate gloves.

Inspection and maintenance: Regularly inspect gloves for signs of wear, damage, or degradation, and replace them as needed. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should be inspected, cleaned, and maintained at regular intervals so that the PPE provides the requisite protection. It is also important to ensure that contaminated PPE which cannot be decontaminated is disposed of in a manner that protects employees from exposure to hazards.
Hierarchy of Controls: PPE devices alone should not be relied on to provide protection against hazards, but should be used in conjunction with guards, engineering controls, and sound manufacturing practices.

Conclusion