SHOULD MULTI-PURPOSE GLOVES BE USED FOR EVERYTHING?

“Multi-purpose” is a word we try to use rarely in the hand safety industry. What do we mean by multi-purpose gloves, and is it for everything? When I stumbled upon this question, honestly speaking, I had no simple answer to it.

Understand the work conditions and how the multi-purpose glove could help.

Multi-purpose gloves work best when performing tasks that share similar working conditions. For example, suitable gloves for carpentry can also be applicable for gardening if they share the same protective properties. These properties could be dexterity, abrasion resistance, and water resistance, for example.

Knowing what the protective need is and what the glove is for

Working in medium and heavy industries requires gloves with more specialized protective features. For instance, in the assembly industry, workers often need cut protection. However, they may also regularly be exposed to other hazards such as high heat or slippery oil, where it is not recommended to use the same glove for both tasks. When the tasks and their respective protective needs are too different, it is best to choose different gloves for each task, to ensure that the hands are safe.

How to decide?

Carrying several gloves could be troublesome. Of course, different gloves can strategically be placed at the location of the hazard for easy swapping. Another approach is if a group of tasks shares similar protective needs, such as cuts, impact, abrasion, then a glove can be genuinely multi-purpose and help streamline the safety process. The automotive industry is a great example that requires several aspects of protection, like cut and impact protection. It would make perfect sense to wear gloves that support both hazards. It could even be more cost-effective too.

So yes, multi-purpose exists, but it is essential to understand the glove features by going through the glove specification and comparing features to the risk analysis. The best practice is to get a small number of sample gloves for a series of controlled test runs.

Let me know what you think, and together let’s improve hand safety awareness.