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What are the different standards and regulations for protective gloves?

July 16, 2022374 ViewsGloves8

In the workplace, hands are exposed to multiple dangers depending on the sector of activity. Therefore, adapted personal protective equipment is necessary to reduce the risks as much as possible. To make the right choice of hand protection gloves, it is important to identify the risks involved. These risks are divided into 3 categories:

Different standards allow us to identify the appropriate protective glove :

It is easy to identify glove standards as they are marked by a specific, clear and readable CE label. However, in order to do so, you need to understand what they correspond to.

The EN ISO 21420 standard

This standard defines the general requirements that the protective glove must meet: use, ergonomics, safety, or marking. However, this standard does not define the level of protection of the glove. It is a sort of basic regulation for protective gloves that additional standards complete according to the risk.

The EN 388 standard

The EN 388 standard covers protection against the mechanical risks associated with the use of a machine or tool: abrasion, cuts, tears, punctures. A handling glove that meets the EN 388 standard offers different levels of protection against these specific hazards; cut protection gloves provide effective protection when using a blade, for example.

The EN 511 standard

EN 511 safety gloves provide protection against cold. Thus, cold protection gloves offer different levels of resistance to convective cold, contact cold and waterproofness. These gloves are ideal protection for outdoor work in sub-zero temperatures or in refrigerated work areas.

The EN 407 standard

When facing thermal risksEN 407 standard gloves are an efficient protective shield against heat. This standard includes features such as resistance to:

The EN 12477 standard

Welding has its own standard for work gloves: the EN 12477. Indeed, welders need an efficient protection while having a great dexterity for a better precision in their gestures. EN 12477 welding gloves are protective against several types of welding operations, including TIG, and cutting.

The food contact standard

When handling foodstuffs, wearing gloves is vital to avoid contaminating the food and to protect those who will consume it. Food contact gloves are marked with a logo representing a glass and a fork. Regulations for these gloves require specific materials and specific tests.

The different performance levels defined by the protective glove standards

The European standards allow us to identify the appropriate protection of the glove against the risks incurred. In addition, a note indicates the performance level of the protective glove. This complementary indication makes it possible to choose the right resistance, for total safety. Thus, the X mark indicates an unsuitable test method or that the glove has not been tested. Level zero means that the performance is zero. Finally, from 1 to 4 (or 5 for cut protection EN388), the performance is from good to excellent.