Roofing and Building Center

Protect Your Hands with High Quality Work Gloves

Posted on January 5, 2010 by Samuel Cheeseman ----- Advertisement

A wide range of industrial and construction occupations will require workers to wear protective gloves. This may be compulsory under certain regulations or just the employee’s choice as a way of insulating their hands from cold weather. Work gloves are available in many different materials and designs which are suited to completing different classes of work. Popular choices include leather work gloves, cotton work gloves, Kevlar work gloves and many others produced from materials such as nitrile which are to be used when working with many hazardous chemicals. Many waterproof work gloves are also available which could prove to be advantageous in many working environments.

Levels of Protection

Gloves are now graded on a scale of one to five by ANSI/ISEA (The American National Standard for High-Visibility Safety Apparel and Headwear) which was established by the American National Standards Institute. A rating of one will be allocated to gloves which are for wear only when completing light work. The gloves which offer the highest levels of protection will be graded at level five. These gloves are capable of withstanding considerable impacts and still offering protection to the hands of the worker. Most gloves sold for use in the construction industry have a grade of two or three. All gloves must pass numerous tests before a grade is allocated to them. The tests involve subjecting gloves to cutting, permeation, fire and abrasion among other things. This allows us to measure the protection they will offer to anyone wearing them.

Working in Low Temperatures

Most of the work gloves sold to construction workers are purchased to insulate the hands of a worker in cold conditions as well to provide light to medium levels of protection against cuts and grazes. There is large range of winter work gloves currently available. Leather working gloves with insulated lining are a popular choice when working outdoors in cold conditions. A leather work glove will be produced from leather that is heavy and durable and so will ensure good protection. The insulated lining provides warmth and comfort.

Cotton insulated work gloves will also provide warmth and comfort but may not be able to give the same levels of protection as heavy duty work gloves made from leather can offer. Cotton will however offer greater flexible and so may a desirable choice for some workers. The fingerless work gloves currently available will be the most flexible but the protection given by these products is obviously very limited. They are not suitable in situations where protection from physical harm is required but they can keep the palms of your hands warm while also allowing great flexibility.

When working in the most demanding conditions insulated nitrile working gloves will be a great choice. These are designed for handling chemicals and many oil based products. The insulation will also provide protection against the cold. The nitrile work glove acts as a protective barrier against dangerous materials. This barrier is formed when the glove is dipped in nitrile butyl rubber during production. You will need to check with your employer what protection is required in any hazardous environments you may be working in but these gloves will often be adequate. Some neoprene gloves can also provide light protection from chemicals but these will not be as effective as the nitrile gloves.

Pricing

The cost of work gloves will vary considerably depending on the type of protection you require and also where you choose to purchase the gloves. Products purchased from shops or industrial suppliers can often be obtained for a fraction of the price by shopping around online. Many reputable websites have a large range of mens work gloves and womens work gloves so you should be able to find reasonably priced options for any purpose using the internet.