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 [email protected].
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:
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Notes:
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Notes:
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