Hands are the most important asset of the workers. Yet, they end up losing them or getting them injured due to not wearing the right safety gloves. Getting yourself knowledgeable about protective gloves can go a long way in helping you reduce the risk of hand injuries and prioritizing hand protection.

Common mistakes to avoid when buying safety gloves

To help you select the right gloves, we have identified 5 most basic mistakes that are committed when selecting different types of safety gloves. Knowing them is crucial for the safety protection of every industry worker.

1- Continue sticking with old gloves

Gloves have improved over time, offering a greater balance between safety, comfort, style, and cost and the gloves manufacturers now offer gloves of extensive variety and with customization. But the most annoying part comes when the buyer keeps on buying the same gloves which he has been stuck to for the last 25 years.

It is important to understand that there has been a lot of improvement made in safety gloves and tasks have undoubtedly changed so choosing the old gloves is a disservice to your workers when you can provide them with better safety gear.

2- Selecting a glove without a hazard evaluation

Just like in the company there are different types of workers similarly there are different types of risk that they all are exposed to and the risk may differ to each of them according to their job tasks and work environment. So a glove suitable for one worker might be entirely a wrong choice for another. Therefore, the purchaser needs to conduct a hazard analysis and make sure that the gloves are not purchased based on previous injuries, without contemplating the dangers that may take place in the future.

3- Purchasing a glove with excessive protection

Too much protection doesn’t mean perfect protection. Buying a glove with arc flash properties, flame resistance, foam padded for knuckle protection can be the right safety equipment for a FireFighter but not for others, it may just be a productivity kill and excessive protection which they don’t even need.

When choosing a glove, ask a few important questions such as what’s the job of the worker? What risks are faced? What protection do they need every day?

4- Selecting the wrong glove size

There is nothing worse than buying the wrong size of gloves. The right side of the glove is snug fit but at the same time have the ability to stretch to fit the hand. If a glove is too small, it will be uncomfortable to the wearer. If too big it can get caught on machinery that will again result in a hand injury. Finding the right fit requires measuring the hand.

Here’s how to measure your hand for gloves:

• Keep your hand flat with your palm up and your fingers together.
• Set the measuring tape to the base of your index finger to the outside of your pinky finger (do not include the thumb).
• Find the glove on the chart by measuring your hand (see the chart and take note both in number and the letters)

5- Choosing the wrong material

Selecting the incorrect material can put your hand at risk and can be a major mistake. Glove material is a determinant of safety as like any other factor. You can find gloves in different materials but leather is most preferable of all the durability, dexterity, cut resistance, and many features.

At Elite Leather, we provide leather safety gloves that provided optimum safety to your workers and offer a great balance of all the features necessary in gloves such as comfort, dexterity, sung fit, chemical resistance. Explore our collection today!