Hand Injury Reduction 3

Hierarchy of Safety Controls 4

What is a Hazard Control Program? 6

Hand Injuries by the Numbers 7

6 Tips for Getting to Zero Hand Injuries 9-10

Safety for Young Workers 11

Understanding Who is Responsible for Safety 12-14

Psychology of Safety 15

Choose the Right Glove Infographic 16-17

Glove Coatings 18

Leather Glove Selection Guide 19-20

Choose the Right Puncture Standard 21

Winter Gloves 22-24

Choosing Cut-Resistant Sleeves 25-27

TABLE OF CONTENTS

You take it for granted that when you go to work, you’ll be returning home at the end

of the day. You probably don’t even consider any other outcomes. The goal of your

workplace safety department is to prevent injuries and ensure that you go home safe.

Your hands and arms are the most vulnerable part of your body and have the highest

potential for being injured.

When choosing the proper gloves for your workplace, there are several considerations

that must be made.

The Defi nitive Guide to Hand Protection aims to make your decision-making

process easier. Keep reading to discover how…

Hand Injury Reduction

hierarchy of safety controls

The Hierarchy of Hazard Controls

is a simple way to minimize

exposure to hazards in

your workplace.

Uses engineering controls that make physical changes

to lessen any remaining risk, e.g. redesign a

ventilation system to eliminate worker exposure

to fumes.

Require your employees to wear PPE based on

remaining hazards, e.g. provide gloves, earplugs, goggles.

6

Why should a workplace implement hazard controls? There is never a fi ne line between safe and unsafe.

What is a HazardControl Program?A Hazard Control Program

consists of the steps

necessary to protect

workers. This ranges from

training to limiting exposure

to a substance or system. It

also includes the procedures

needed to monitor worker

exposure and their health

to hazards like chemicals,

materials, substances or

noise and vibration. A written

workplace Hazard Control

Program should outline the

methods in place to control

exposure and how these

controls will be monitored for

effectiveness.

Why is it important to monitor and review your Hazard Control Program and methods?It is important to monitor both the

hazard and the control method

to make sure that the control is

working effectively and that

exposure to the hazard is reduced

or eliminated.

Some tools include physical

inspection, testing, exposure,

assessment, observations, injury

and illness tracking, accident/

incident investigations reports,

employee feedback/input,

occupational health assessment

and other methods.

7

01 The Way We Talk About Safety MattersToo often safety is discussed in terms of

statistics, whether it’s the cost of an

accident or the number/severity of failures.

While important, these statistics should be

used with care.

It’s important to remember that safety

numbers and metrics are only one effective

tool in an arsenal for creating safer work

environments.

That’s because numbers and metrics are

only a representation of actual events and

in the wake of percentiles and percentages,

the people who make up these statistics are

often forgotten.

That’s why the way we talk about safety matters.

02 Safety Metrics areDiscussed in Terms of FailuresImprovements to safety are often used as a

reaction to events rather than a cyclical and

constant process.

Accidents are written off as poor luck or the

fault of accident-prone people.

03 Lagging Indicators are Metrics Used to ShowPerformance:Lagging indicators use data that’s already

collected. These indicators are slow to

change and offer little information about

what’s occurring. These traditional safety

metrics provide information about

compliance rates but not much else.

Lagging indicators don’t provide information

on how well your organization is preventing

injury. Using only lagging indicators can lead

to misinterpretations. For example, if hand

injury rates are low, your manager may

assume your team is doing well. This

completely ignores risk factors that

are present.

Instead, look to leading indicators for

effective change that happens quickly and

comes before trends.

Leading indicators are used in behavior-

based safety processes. These indicators

include safety training, and looking for

opportunities for improvement through

identifi cation, tracking and correction.

They give us a representation of what

employees are doing consistently that

mitigates – or contributes to – risks of

the job.

When safety is only discussed after an

accident, it’s linked with negative

consequences.

Instead of employees being constantly

vigilant, it creates a safety culture of

reactivity. This type of safety program

provides a clear message to your employ-

ees, though it might not be the one you

intend to give.

We care… but only when you get hurt.

A reactionary safety process attempts

to prevent injuries without changing

anything. It ignores the system within

which injuries happen.

When injury rates alone are used in safety

meetings, the broader context is ignored.

You need to look at the direct and indirect

circumstances affecting behavior that

leads to injury.

This type of process is based on lagging

indicators, not prescriptive measures.

It reports what you don’t want, resulting

in an evaluation rather than a developmen-

tal tool.

HAND INJURIES BY THE NUMBERS

8

Safety processes are not one-size-

fi ts-all, but there are benefi ts of using

leading indicators, as listed by

behavioral safety expert Aubrey

Daniels.

Leading indicators allow

you to:• See small improvements in performance• Measure the positive of what people are doing versus failing to do• Enable frequent feedback to all stakeholders• Be credible to performers• Be predictive• Increase constructive problem solving around safety• Make it clear what needs to be done to get better• Track impact versus intention

When used together, leading and lagging indicators can drive effective safety pro-cess.

9

TIPS FOR GETTINGTO ZERO HAND6

Analyze Hand Safety Data

• Look at your hand injury data for clues about the major causes of hand injuries.

• Review near-miss reporting as well as incident reports to look for trends.

You’ll be able to predict where injuries will occur in the future.

• Determine the best way to prevent accidents from happening again by

looking at previous accidents.

Engage in Job-Hazard Analysis (JHA)

• Talk to the employees involved in the tasks, involve them

in the entire process.

• Use the information you collected in step one to determine

which jobs pose the highest risk to employees.

• Identify relevant standards that apply to your jobs and

incorporate them in your JHA.

• Set priorities for which jobs need the most attention.

0THE GOAL FOR ANYSAFETY ORGANIZATION

IS TO GET THATMAGICAL NUMBER

INJURIES

Choose the Right Protection for the Job

• Based on your JHA in step two, pick the hand protection that

will best fit the work.

• Make sure that the protection will handle all the hazards.

(If one can’t, then multiple types of hand protection will be

needed to ensure a safe environment).

Training

• Once you’ve identified the risks and selected proper hand

protection, it’s time to engage in employee training.

• Make sure that your employees understand the hazards for

the job they are performing.

• Train them on proper glove usage, emphasize the limitations

of their hand protection and how not to exceed it.

1.

3.

4.

2.

10

Audits and Compliance • Safety is ever-evolving, be sure to update your assessment on a regular basis

to keep your information and training up to date.

Feedback

• Invite management and employees to provide feedback.

• Be open to discussing issues with chosen gloves or newly identified hazards that

may have been missed in the initial analysis.

5.

6.

Workers Under 25 are Most Vulnerable

Although fatal injuries have been on the decline, workers under the age of 25 are twice as likely to be involved

in a non-fatal work injury.

Getting younger workers to understand the importance of proper personal protective equipment (PPE) is

critical in preventing injuries.

What can you do to get this group involved in your PPE program one-hundred percent?

Training is the fi rst and last answer to issues like this. Training is where the importance of PPE can be demonstrated to young workers.

There are three key types of training that you should provide to your workers.

HOW TO GET YOUNGER WORKERS TO BUY-IN

01 Proper PPE SelectionPPE comes in all shapes and sizes and

workers need to know how to choose the

right gear to keep them safe. Younger work-

ers aren’t as experienced or knowledgeable

as their older counterparts. Training can

help them make better choices and choose

the proper size and category of gear.

02 Proper Use of PPEChoosing the right gear is only effective if

it’s being used properly. Knowing when to

safely remove gloves, what to do when PPE

seems cumbersome or uncomfortable and

knowing the gear’s limitations can help your

workers use it.

03 Storing and Handling PPEThe third thing that younger workers should

be trained on is how to properly care for

PPE. Education about what to do when the

job is done is just as important as what to

do during the job. Make sure that cleaning

and storage training is given so that equip-

ment is in top shape for the job.

11

12

Workers are the fi rst line of injury preven-tion. They are responsible for their own safety. Impressing upon younger workers their role in ensuring safety on the job site can help them to understand why PPE is

an important part of the job.

Quality Tools

Young workers who are responsible for

providing their own tools might not have

access to high quality tools. Using cheap

or used tools might seem like a good idea

to save money. These tools can cause

injury if they are not rated for the job at

hand. Ensuring that younger workers have

access to proper tools can help them

make good choices when selecting the

right tool for the job.

Job Analysis

Involving young workers in the entire job analysis

process – from planning to execution – will give

these workers a sense of involvement. It can also

provide insight into the point of view of someone

new to the job. These are insights that might be

overlooked by more experienced employees.

70% of workers who experienced hand inju-

ries on the job were not wearing gloves.

In a study conducted by the Occupational Safety

and Health Administration (OSHA), statistics

revealed that 70 percent of the workers who suf-

fered hand injuries in manufacturing operations

were not wearing gloves. Hand injuries among

the remaining 30 percent occurred because hand

protection was inadequate, damaged or not suit-

able for the application.

Understanding Who is Responsible for Safety

13

The reduction in risk for an acutetraumatic hand injury while

wearing the right work gloves.

ASK US HOW.

GLOVES are not the biggest purchases that’s made when choosing personal protection equipment (PPE). Gloves also don’t cover a lot of square footage on your body. But, they do help prevent hand and fi nger injuries, which make up twenty-fi ve percent of ALL workplace accidents.

CHOOSING AND IMPLEMENTING THE PROPER GLOVES (and PPE in general) is a critical element when it comes to employee engagement and motivation. In turn, this is the most important factor in a safe workplace. Gloves may seem like a small decision in the overall scheme of things, but small details have a big impact on the safety and performance of a business.

SAFETY, GLOVES AND PSYCHOLOGY

15

PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITSOF SELECTING THE RIGHTWORK GLOVEChoosing the right PPE will make your

employees more productive, but it

also has psychological benefi ts. When

your workers feel confi dent about their

safety, they respect their employers

and recognize their value to the com-

pany. Your employees feel cared for

and important.

We conducted a case study recently

with an oilfi eld company that should

illustrate this point.

The company was spending $3 per

pair for leather work gloves and re-

placing them daily. This amounted to

between $2,000 - $3,000 per month

in glove costs. Workers were getting a

lot of pinch points, puncture wounds,

cuts and abrasions. As hand injuries

became frequent and costly, the Health

and Safety Engineering Specialist,

Christopher, sought out gloves that

would be more suitable to protect

his workers from the grave risks they

encountered daily.

Ultimately, they swapped out their

leather work gloves for highly engi-

neered anti-impact gloves (product

MXVSB) – an option that easily cost

four times the amount of the leather

ones.

BY SPENDING EXTRA MONEY ON GLOVES, THE COMPANY:• Reduced monthly hand injuries from four to zero• Saved 45% on their bottom line

NEW GLOVES =NEW OUTLOOK ON SAFETY

16

Don’t get us wrong, we love leather, we love

leather so much that we wrote a guide

about it (The Bad-Ass Guide to Leather

Work Gloves). But, when you’re choosing

the best material for protecting from cuts,

leather doesn’t compare to modern fabrics.

Leather is the skin of an animal, which

means that it is no better than your hands

for stopping cuts. New technologies like

Kevlar® and TenActiv™ are lighter, more

affordable, more comfortable and inherently

cut resistant.

The Misconception of Leather

0 1 2 3 4 5

0 1 2 3 4 5

0 1 2 3 4 5

0 1 2 3 4 5

0 1 2 3 4 5

CHOOSE THE RIGHT CUT-RESISTANT GLOVE

17

ANSI A1: Paper cuts, material handling, parts assembly

ANSI A2/A3: Material handling, small parts handling, general purpose, warehouse, construction

ANSI A4: Bottle and glass handling, drywalling, electrical, HVAC, automotive assembly, metal handling

ANSI A5/A6: Sharp metal stamping, metal recycling, pulp and paper, automotive, aerospace industry,

meat processing

ANSI A7+: Sharp metal stamping, pulp and paper, butchering, oil and gas, industrial pipe fitting, sheet metal,

steel cable handling

Which LEVEL do I choose?*These recommendations are of a general nature and are not specific to everyone’s needs. Always ensure

your selected glove complies with the mandated safety standard recommended for your application.

Nuisance cuts Moderate

cut hazards High cut hazardsLow cut hazards Extreme cut hazards

18

Quickly summarizes the pros and cons of each type of coating as well as the typical industry eachtype of coated glove is used in.

REFERENCE CHART AND CHECKLIST FOR CHOOSING THE RIGHT GLOVE COATING

19

If you are considering leather work gloves, there are some basics you should not ignore.

HOW TO CHOOSE LEATHER WORK GLOVES

01 Do You Really Want Leather?Many people who use leather work gloves

do so because it’s what they’ve always

used. Most of us don’t like change, so we

don’t look for other options.

But, in many cases, palm-coated gloves

offer much better feel, comfort, cut resist-

ance, and even lower cost.

A few exceptions where leather gloves are

the better option:

• Leather is inherently fl ame resistant, and

perfect for jobs with a risk of fl ame or

arc fl ash.

• Leather holds up very well against

friction and abrasion, like working with

rope or lumber.

• Leather has excellent thermal properties

and can tolerate upwards of 600°F

before charring or hardening.

02 Choose the Best StyleThere are four main styles of leather gloves:

1) Driver and Roper GlovesThese gloves are designed to fi t snug to

your hand, which gives you better dexterity

and tactile feel.

2) Leather Palm GlovesLeather palm gloves will usually have a

string-knit or cotton body and the palm will

be sewn on. These gloves are best in hot

weather because they will breathe better

than a full leather option.

3) Clute Cut Leather GlovesClute cut is a popular pattern which has a

seam-free palm but several seams at the

back. This pattern is optimal if there’s a lot

of wear and tear because the seams won’t

be in danger of wearing out prematurely.

4) Gunn Cut and Fitter GlovesFitter gloves have a looser fi t than driver

or roper gloves, but these cost-effi cient

options are excellent if you want to avoid

friction burn but don’t have many other

hazards.

03 Which Leather is Best?In general, goatskin is the leather with the

best combination of dexterity and durabil-

ity. Known as nature’s strongest leather, it

is very thin and fl exible but has impressive

resistance to abrasion.

If dexterity isn’t as important, but durability

is a necessity for your job, choose cowhide,

horsehide or buffalo.

20

04 Should You Go With Splitor Grain?Grain leather comes from the smooth external side of the hide. Grain provides durability, dexterity, and water and oil repellency. Split leather is the rougher internal side of the hide. Split leather is less expensive and good for applications where oil absorption is needed (like metal stamping). Grain leather is better for working outdoors and ismore durable.

05 Do You Need a Cut-Resistant Lining?Leather is not cut resistant, period. If you need a leather glove withcut-resistant properties, look for an option with a liner made with Kevlar® or other inherently cut-resistant materials.

06 To Wash or Not to Wash?

A lot of times people don’t even think about laundering leather gloves, but a good launderer can help you get multiple uses out of a leather work glove. If you need any help fi nding a glove launderer, email us at customerservice@superior-glove.com.

21

If you are dealing with fine.

sharp objects such asIf you are dealing with fine.

sharp objects such as waste handling lawenforcement

pulp & paper recycling(risk of needles)

sharps handling

Fine object puncture threat:

ASTM F2878modified standard.

medical needles.

Large object puncture threat:

When dealing with larger objectsthat pose a puncture threat(lumber industry, metal fabrication,waste collection)

recycling(without risk of

needles)

glass lumber

EN 388:1994

CHOOSE THE RIGHT PUNCTURE STANDARD

There are a lot of puncture-resistant glove options on

the market, but before you decide between which is

best, you need to consider to which standard the glove

is tested.

There are two standards for testing the puncture resist-

ance of gloves, which will be explored further here.

Large Object Puncture Threat(EN 388: 1994 Standard)If you’re dealing with thicker puncture threats like lum-

ber, nails, or glass, then look for a glove that is tested to

this standard.

Fine Object Puncture Threat(ASTM F2878 Standard)If you’re dealing with thin puncture threats like needles,

look for a glove that is tested to this standard.

It’s paramount that you choose the right standard

when dealing with puncture threats. Each standard

uses a different sized probe in the testing process,

which means that even a glove with the highest rating

on the EN 388 scale will not protect you from

a hypodermic needle.

22

Three-layer construction:

Four-layer construction:Two-layer construction:

SNTAPVC MXVSBWFL

378GHVTLLeather or nylon

Thinsulate™

Nylon

Synthetic leatherNylon

Napped fleeceWaterproof membrane

Fleece insulationNylon

WINTER GLOVE SELECTION HACKS

01 Choose a multi-layer glove for temperatures below 20°F or -5°C.For colder temperatures we recom-

mend a glove that has at least two

layers, preferably more. Here are

some examples:

02 Moisture ManagementMost of the body’s sweat comes

from the hands and the soles of the

feet. Water pulls heat away from

the body 25 times faster than air

because it has a greater density. So,

managing moisture is key to design-

ing warm winter gloves.

When choosing winter gloves, make

sure that the next-to-hand layer isn’t

cotton-based. This is the worst win-

ter glove lining material because it

absorbs sweat and moisture. It also

holds that moisture next to your skin

where it cools you off.

We recommend choosing a

next-to-hand layer like polypro-

pylene or a natural fi ber like wool.

These materials wick moisture away

to keep your skin dry.

What is the best way to choose the right winter glove? Most manufacturers don’t include temperature

ratings or insulation values for winter gloves, so how do you know if the glove you’re choosing will

keep you warm? These tips will help keep you out of the cold this winter.

23

24

03 Outer Layer SelectionWhen looking for a good winter glove,

look for one with a dense outer layer to

block wind.

Avoid materials like rag-wool because the

knit is too open and allows wind

to penetrate.

Testing shows that a dense outer layer will

contribute 25°F (14°C) of warmth to the

glove in still conditions, and 50°F (28°C)

warmth in windy conditions. That is a

huge difference.

Here are examples of gloves

with good, dense outer

wind-stopping shells:

378GKGTL

MXBUFL

04 Specify the Right InsulationThere are four main styles of leather gloves:

If you’re working in extreme temperatures

(i.e. below 0°F/-20°C), we recommend

using a glove with Thinsulate™ insulation.

Thinsulate™ gives the maximum warmth

for its thickness, due to the very fi ne denier

of the synthetic fi bers which trap air in the

tangle of fi bers extremely well.

It retains warmth well, even when damp.

Thinsulate™ comes in many weights and

types. Its thickness is measured in grams

per square meter (gsm). When working in

cool conditions, or environments where

dexterity is critical, gloves with 40 gsm

Thinsulate™ is suffi cient. For light activity

levels or work in cold conditions, choose

a glove with 100 gsm Thinsulate™. We are

one of the very few glove companies world-

wide offering styles with 200 to 400 gsm

Thinsulate™ to handle extreme cold work

environments.

Here are examples of gloves

with the right insulation:

378GKGDT

378KGTVB

05 Pay Attention to the FingertipsA lot of winter gloves are poorly designed in

the fi ngertips. They either have less insula-

tion in the fi ngertips or bad seams, allowing

heat to escape.

Why does this matter?Fingers are more susceptible to cold

because they don’t have major muscles to

produce heat. In addition, the body will pre-

serve heat by favoring the internal organs,

reducing the fl ow of blood to the extremities

under cold conditions.

What to look for:Look for linings that are fully “sock lined,”

meaning the lining fully wraps the sides

of the fi ngers. Sock lining eliminates heat

leakage points that happen when linings are

over stretched in sewing and the insulation

loft has been pulled thin.

25

CHOOSE THE RIGHT CUT-RESISTANT SLEEVES FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES

26

01 Do I need sleeves at All?This is the fi rst question you should

ask yourself. If you’re noticing a lot of

injuries from cuts or burns, the answer

is yes. You could consider buying

gloves with extra-long cuffs but that

will only provide a few extra inches of

coverage and will be much bulkier than

a sleeve.

02 Which Cut Resistance Level Do I Need?There are two schools of thought when

it comes to choosing cut-resistant

sleeves.

Option #1: 1 to 2 Levels Lower: Choose sleeves that are one to two

levels lower than the gloves you are

currently using. The logic is that your

arms may not be exposed to the same

level of risk as your hands.

Option #2: Err on the Side of Caution: Choose sleeves with the

same level of cut resistance as your

gloves. If you are at a high risk of cuts

to your arms, buying sleeves that pro-

tect to the same degree as your gloves

is a good idea.

03 Do I Need Flame-Resistant (FR) Sleeves?If you are working around fl ames or

welding splatter, you should consider

fl ame-resistant sleeves. Good materials

to look at are Kevlar® (aramid), Protex®

or the new blended fl ame-resistant

sleeves. A word of caution: some-

times people overestimate the need

for an FR sleeve. If you’re doing minor

grinding, an FR sleeve may be overkill;

HPPE sleeves will stand up just fi ne.

04 Prevent Sleeves From Slip-pingThere are two reasons sleeves ride

down your arm:

#1: The Sleeves Don’t Fit Prop-erly: Tubular knit sleeves tend to lose

their shape in a short time, especially

after laundering. Just like humans

are not one-size-fi ts-all – neither are

sleeves.

You should look for sleeves that come

in sizes XS through XL to properly fi t

the different arm sizes of your employ-

ees. The idea that the same sleeve

would fi t a slender person with

27

9.5” biceps as a pro wrestler with 17”

biceps (or vice versa) won’t work.

In addition, look for sleeves that are

designed to stay up, even after re-

peated laundering. Your sleeve should

withstand a minimum of six launder-

ings without any change in shape or fi t.

Check out Superior’s patented

STAYz-UP™ to see what we mean.

#2: The Sleeves are Being Pushed Down: If the sleeves are hot

and uncomfortable, your employees

will do whatever they can to cover as

little of their arms as possible… can

you blame them? Choose some of the

cooler, more moisture wicking

cut-resistant materials are Cutban™

and TenActiv™.

05 Be Proactive!Talk with your Superior Glove Terri-

tory Manager and he/she will help you

determine which sleeve is best for your

job. Then he/she will supply you with

enough samples to perform a trial and

show your employees.

Notes:

Notes:

30

Notes:

31

Notes: