It’s quite eminent at this point that work gloves are a necessity, especially if your work involves risks that can be a hindrance to your employees’ well-being. This becomes an even bigger problem during the winters, which are harsh on every person who goes out to perform high-level jobs during the chilly season. Therefore, it’s important for you to provide your workers with the necessary personal protective equipment they need to stay safe and warm during these conditions.
In this blog, we’ve discussed all the reasons you need work gloves, along with factors when it comes to choosing them and the things you need to keep in mind to select the best ones.
Reasons to Wear Winter Work Gloves
Grip
One of the benefits of wearing winter work gloves is that they provide additional grip to your fingers and hands, helping you handle heavy and sharp objects. In winters, your hands start to freeze due to the chilly weather and lose most of their movement and flexibility, but with work gloves, that concern is more or less eliminated as your hands acquire the grip needed to complete your work.
Insulation
Frostbite and dryness are some of the biggest hazards, among others, that workers are faced with during winters. But high-quality winter work gloves can help your employees gain insulation in their hands, keeping them safe from the hazards of freezing temperatures. Some gloves can also provide insulation from hot objects, mostly used by welders, etc.
Protection
Wearing winter work gloves provides protection, that’s obvious. But it does more than just protect workers from the chilly weather. High-quality winter leather gloves can also protect the wearer from cuts, lacerations, sharp and dangerous objects, while also providing grip and dexterity. Meaning, workers aren’t just safe from harsh weather conditions, they’re also safe from other harmful conditions while wearing work gloves with padding at the back can protect against falling objects too.
Regulation Compliance
Lastly, wearing winter work gloves isn’t just to keep workers safe from the weather, it’s also a part of OSHA regulations. And when you provide your workers with this basic right, you also become further compliant according to lawful standards, making your workplace marked safe and secure for your employees.
Things to Look for in your Winter Work Gloves
Breathability
The major purpose of winter work gloves is to provide warmth to your hands. But too much warmth at times can lead to overheating your hands, which causes sweat, which can in turn result in your gloves losing all their insulation. For this purpose, it’s better to use high-quality breathable gloves that allow a good amount of air to escape, keeping your hands from overheating while also maintaining the gloves’ insulation value.
Dexterity
In the past, work gloves were designed with just the protection of the wearer in mind, with little-to-no planning about how the workers will actually perform their tasks, meaning they were left with wearing heavy, thick gloves that couldn’t provide the flexibility they needed to work efficiently. Now, with advanced technology being used to manufacture gloves, OSHA requires workers to be provided high-quality gloves that provide protection as well as dexterity to the wearer, meaning now they can work efficiently, without having to put their safety in jeopardy.
Waterproof Material
If you’re going for winter work gloves, you’re likely doing so for protection from the chilly weather. But that becomes obsolete if your gloves keep getting wet while you’re performing your tasks, and this can also lead to damaging your nerve endings and experiencing severe long-term issues. For this purpose, it’s important to choose rubber gloves or gloves that have a waterproof lining. This will keep your hands warm and dry.
Gripping Mechanism
Another thing to look for in winter work gloves is the amount of grip it allows for the worker when it comes to movement control. The following materials are considered best in this regard:
- Latex Dipped Gloves
- Nitrile Coated Gloves
- PVC Dot Gloves
Palm Coating
There are many different palm coatings available when it comes to work gloves, from polyurethane to foam nitrile, and the coating you choose depends on the tasks you’re required to perform. Some gloves are lined with a coating aimed at protecting the worker from vibrations, and others are more suited to be cut-protective.
Cut Level
One of the biggest factors you need to consider while selecting winter work gloves is the ANSI Cut Level they belong to. If you’re performing any low-requirement task, you may choose from cut level A1-A3, but if you’re performing high-maintenance tasks that too in an environment with low temperatures, you need to choose a higher cut level, from A4 to A9, depending on the severity of your task and requirements.
Factors to Consider While Choosing Work Gloves
Leather
Leather is perhaps the most recommended and preferred material used by workers when it comes to protective gloves. Cowhide, goatskin, and pigskin are the most popular gloves used by workers, whereas deerskin is used for premium material work gloves. Leather provides high-level abrasion and heat resistance qualities, while also being excellent when it comes to dexterity and comfort. Although, it’s worth noting that leather is a natural material, and different kinds of leather may contain different flaws, depending on the way it’s manufactured and how it’s used.
Rubber
Dipped and flock-lined rubber gloves are exceptional when it comes to waterproof, flexible gloves with high quality and dexterity. These are usually customized and created specifically for certain tasks like handling hazardous chemicals and performing tasks that involve electrical exposure. Rubber gloves should also be regularly tested for cuts, etc. to ensure their quality is maintained.
Synthetic Materials
Synthetic gloves are also quite popular when it comes to winter work gloves, with polyester, PVC, and nylon being used to manufacture them. Synthetic leather is also famous among workers who can’t afford to buy genuine leather materials due to pricing issues.
Now that you know the reasons you need work gloves and the factors to consider while choosing them, there’s no need to wait any longer. Work gloves are required by OSHA regulations to keep your environment safe and comfortable for your workers, and it’s your job to provide this safety responsibly. If you need assistance regarding this, you can contact the experts at Elite-Leather Creations.
