Better grip means better hand protection

Avoid the disasters that can occur whenever greasy or oily components slide out of a worker’s grasp, or when hands slip out of control from a slippery surface. When hands or components are wet, workers can be seriously injured. At the same time, equipment and goods can be damaged, time can be lost and orders can be delayed. It is a chain of events that can and should be prevented at all cost.

Task-specific work gloves like Showa Best gloves are the first step in prevention of hand injuries and product damage. Since a few years ago, Showa Best Glove's research and development has been focused on creating gloves that ensure superior grip in slippery situations. Now we offer options available that provide hand protection and grip in environments ranging from deck floor drilling to plant maintenance.

These newer, more form-fitting gloves are easier to manipulate than older technology products like cotton and leather. This reduces hand fatigue - an important factor with a changing and aging workforce. In addition, in tests, these new technology gloves outwear cotton and leather gloves anywhere from 3-to-1 up to 10-to-1.

What's the Secret?

These new glove types feature specialized coatings - coatings that absorb oil to ensure grip. Sponge and foam nitrile are two of the most exciting of these new coatings. Glove liners of all types - from nylon liners to those woven of DuPont Kevlar - are dipped in these new coatings for a glove that changes the rules of what a nitrile glove can be. Depending upon the application, gloves can be flat-dipped for palm grip; three-quarter dipped for additional protection or fully dipped in dual nitrile technology combining nitrile with foam nitrile over dip. In addition, sponge and foam nitrile now are applied in varying thicknesses to provide choices in the degree of oil absorption for different applications.

The resulting gloves provide comfort and touch sensitivity. The nitrile coating offers low protection against a wide range of chemical substances and physical hazards. The gloves' superior sponge and foam grip ensures excellent grip in oily applications. On many glove models, elastic knit wrists work to hold the glove firmly on the arm for enhanced fit.

Glove grip challenges (www.showabestglove.eu)

Further to Showa Best Glove, they developed a range of gloves providing the better grip in all circumstances. Whenever a worker  requires firm grip facing a dry surface, a light oily surface or in a full oil submersion situation, there is always a specific hand solution. In order to advise about the appropriate solution, Showa Best Glove developed a highly interactive and dedicated Grip Challenge. The Health & Safety Manager can easily look for the specifications of his work situation using the Disk brochure. This interactive Disk brochure shows then the ideal hand protection solution within the range of Showa Best Glove. More detailed information about the selection can be found on the website of Showa Best Glove (www.showabestglove.eu).

In addition Showa Best Glove developed the Grip Challenge tool kit. Using this iron grip tool the Health & Safety Manager can convince himself/herself about the gripping performance of the ideal glove he needs for his work situation. Distribution partners of Showa Best Glove can be contacted everywhere in Europe to demonstrate this tool to the Health & Safety Manager.

Chemical protection:  For more information about protection from a wide range of chemicals Showa Best Glove has the very useful website www.chemrest.com.

Earnings for the company

Increased productivity plus decreased waste due to length of wear are main benefits of the sponge and foam nitrile technology. For the business owner, the time savings and productivity benefits of these new nitrile glove technologies are many:

• By utilizing newer technology gloves that outwear older style products such as cotton and leather, businesses will reduce worker downtime as less time is spent changing gloves that wear out prematurely.
• Newer glove designs that are ergonomically designed can help businesses increase productivity in assembly operations by as much as 5 percent to 10 percent.

Many manufacturers offer on-site evaluations to help businesses achieve all these cost savings:

• SKU reduction through consolidation of multiple products being used into fewer SKUs.
• Increased productivity through utilization of gloves that need to be changed less often.
• Decreased waste due to length of wear of newer, technologically superior products.
• Significant cost savings through reduction of recordable and non-recordable injuries.

Keeping gloves clean

These new technology gloves are designed to be used time after time again. Laundering removes the oil that has been absorbed and restores the glove grip function. However, as with any reusable glove, following laundering guidelines helps extend the life of the gloves. In general, workers find clean gloves more comfortable to wear and are more likely to wear them.

Specifically, gloves coated with grip-enhancing sponge or foam nitrile should never be dry cleaned or cleaned using a dry cleaning solvent. They should not be bleached. Instead, they should be washed for up to 15 minutes using a mild commercial laundry detergent or soap in water no more than 60° C. Following the washing, they should be rinsed in cold water. If gloves remain soiled, repeat the wash and rinse process. These gloves can be tumbled dry but should not be subjected to high-heat drying. The dryer temperature should not exceed 49° C.

Keeping gloves on

No matter how great the glove is, it will do no good unless it is worn whenever grip is needed in oily conditions. The key for workers is to select the right glove for the job and the right glove for the person. This means not only finding the desired performance properties, but also determining the glove size that is right for the individual. To determine proper fit, measure the circumference of the hand around the palm or at the base of the metacarpals.

Glove manufacturers provide training on topics such as how to select the proper size glove, how to select the proper glove in a variety of chemicals/hazards and cost savings opportunities in hand protection. Sponge and foam nitrile have ushered in a new era in hand protection for workers who previously were at risk for serious injury from lost grip under oily conditions. Research and development is ongoing in this area with new hand protection models introduced continuously. The future likely will bring even more task-specific developments to this important personal protection equipment arena.

About Showa Best Glove

The Japanese group Showa Best Glove is a world leader in the professional protective glove market.

As the inventor of the seamless PVC glove and the grip style glove, Showa's industrial approach and development strategy revolve around innovation and operational excellence. This pursuit of innovation takes the form of ongoing research into new fibres and materials offering unrivalled comfort and improved safety.

Established over 50 years in this market, Showa Best Glove has a strong presence in all continents. Its research centres in Japan, Malaysia and USA are recognized as among the most advanced in the world.

It exercises full and unique control, from design, manufacturing through to marketing, giving it an expertise that is particularly recognized by its customers. Through their contribution to increased productivity, Showa Best gloves represent a profitable investment while making a significant contribution to improving working conditions.