Gloves

Description

Gloves

Features and Benefits

Wearing rubber gloves helps to prevent contamination and the spread of disease.
Use gloves to protect skin from contact with hazardous/harmful chemical products.

Uses

You need to wear gloves when cleaning the bathroom and the kitchen.
Wear gloves when using ammonia, bleach and other strong chemical products.

Gloves Size

Select the correct gloves size.
Tight-fitting gloves can cause fatigue and will be hard to remove.
On the other hand, loose-fitting gloves can become a hazard.
The gloves should fit a bit loose because they will form fit with use.
To prevent gloves from being uncomfortable, consider measuring both hand size and finger length.
Use the longest finger-length or hand-width measurement to find the accurate glove size in the below charts.
If your longest measurement falls between sizes, choose the larger glove size.
Gloves sizes are measured by numerical hand sizes (6, 7, 8, 9, 10 y 11) or general size descriptors (Extra Small, Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large)

Width Measurement

Sizing can vary slightly among styles or manufacturers, but for a general idea of what number size will fit your hand, measure the circumference of your palm by wrapping a soft tape measure around your hand at the knuckle (widest) area.
To find out your glove size, measure (in inches) around the widest part of your hand with a tape measure just below the knuckles.
Measure your dominant hand, the right if you are right-handed, and the left if you are left-handed.
Wrap a tailor's measuring tape around your dominant hand just below knuckles, excluding your thumb, and make a fist.
This measurement is your hand width glove size.

Hand Width Glove Size Chart

Hands Size (inches) Glove Size 6 7 XS - Extra Small 7 8 S - Small 8 9 M - Medium 9 10 L - Large 10 11 XL - Extra Large 11+ XXL -Extra Large

Finger Lenght Measurement

In order to determine the finger-length size, measure from the tip of the middle finger to the desired point on the bottom edge of the palm.
The finger length will increase with the glove size in some styles of gloves.
For other styles, the finger length may be fixed or an option.

Finger Lenght Glove Size Chart

Finger Lenght (inches) Glove Size 6 5/16 XS 6 3/4 S 7 3/16 M 7 9/16 L 8 1/16 XL 8 7/16+ XXL

Thickness

When choosing a glove, it is important to consider the thickness of the gloves material.
Some gloves that offer more dexterity can be less resistant to chemicals.
The thicker the glove, the better the protection against chemical hazards.
Thin gloves may be useful to hold delicate objects when the chemical products used to clean are not too strong.
Thickness is measured in millimeters.

Type of exposure

Consider if your hands need to be protected from splashes, or from full immersion in chemicals.

Length of exposure

Consider for how long will you be performing tasks involving the chemicals.

Chemical concentration and temperature

Consider the chemical concentration and temperature required for the task.
Higher temperatures and concentrations can affect a glove's breakthrough time.

Ergonomic

A glove needs to be comfortable. You should be able to slip your hand easily into it.
Again, latex excels - the synthetic materials are often stiffer than latex, and less comfortable to wear.

Cost

Latex gloves are usually less expensive than synthetic rubber gloves.

Wrist styles

Choosing the right wrist style can also help increase protection from chemicals.
To keep chemicals or particles from getting inside a glove, knit wrists with stretchable rib-knit tubing offer a snug fit around the wrist.
Such fits can also keep warmth in and cold air out. A safety cuff, which is usually 2.5-3 in. long, provides good protection for the wrist area and ease of movement. Gauntlet wrists extend a bit more - 4.5-5 in. - to protect the wrist and forearm.
A variation on the gauntlet is the bell, which has a rounded cuff.
A band-top style extends a glove 2.5 in., allowing air to circulate around the hand and providing wrist protection.

Cuff designs

Cuff designs are available in extended lengths to protect the lower forearm, such as the gauntlet.
The safety cuff is a 2 to 4- inch wide stiff material, which is designed to make it easier to quickly remove the glove if it is caught on something.
The slip-on design has no cuff.
A glove with a knit-wrist cuff fits snug to the wrist to prevent chemicals/debris from entering the glove.
Rolled cuffs are designed to prevent glove tear.

Grip design

Grip design is the finish on the glove.
Smooth finishes provide more sensation of touch while rough and crinkle finishes provide greater cut and abrasion protection and reduce slippage of objects held in the gloved hand.

Glove Materials

There are a several glove materials that offer different levels of protection depending on the chemicals used.
There is no universal glove that is suitable for all chemicals, and all chemicals eventually penetrate all common glove materials.
Latex free Gloves Disposable Gloves Butyl Rubber : good choice for aldehydes, ketones, and esters Latex: good choice for biological materials Latex gloves are suitable to protect against the spread of contamination and from exposure to harmful chemicals Depending on their thickness, latex gloves can guard against various chemicals. Latex can withstand exposure to liquids that mix with water. Some heavier forms of latex, or those coated with or blended with material such as neoprene, can guard against acids, salts and caustics. They also maintain their integrity at temperatures ranging from 0°F to 300°F. One advantage of latex gloves is that they provide moderate chemical resistance as well as puncture and abrasion resistance. The thinner forms of latex gloves used in laboratory and medical settings also offer great dexterity and tactile sensitivity. Some people are allergic to latex. An allergic reaction may be triggered when the skin comes into contact with a latex glove, but it can also occur when you inhale the powder and protein particles found on some latex gloves. The reaction can result in redness of the skin, a runny nose, itchy eyes, difficulty breathing, and in severe cases, shock. To get around the allergenic aspect of latex, vinyl and nitrile gloves have proven to be a suitable alternative. As well, nitrile gloves are superior to latex gloves when it comes to handling oils, greases and some chemicals. Natural Rubber Gloves: resists acids and caustics Neoprene Gloves: Use Neoprene gloves when you need to handle solvents, acids, caustics, and alcohols. Neoprene is also used to reinforce latex gloves. Look for it to be blended into latex or used as a cover over the hand section of long latex gloves This synthetic rubber material is impervious to liquids and oils and can protect hands from strong alkalis, solvents and acids. It is a strong material and can maintain its integrity at temperatures ranging from 0°F to 300°F. Because these gloves are so resistant to chemicals, they don't allow for much breathability. Many have cotton or flannel liners to increase comfort, and they may be treated to guard against bacterial growth and odor. Nitrile Gloves: Use Nitrile gloves when dealing with biological materials, as well as a wide range of applications along with puncture and abrasion resistance Nitrile gloves provide protection from a number of chemicals, such as solvents, fats, oils, greases, acids, caustics, herbicides, pesticides, pool chemicals, kerosene, naphtha, alcohols, turpentine, tung oil and petroleum products. Nitrile gloves are also known to resist punctures and abrasion better than polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or neoprene. Gloves made entirely from nitrile come in varying levels of thickness - they can be thin-walled for disposable use, and also come in a thicker, unsupported style. Nitrile gloves are also available in a supported style, which consists of the nitrile coating over cotton or other materials for more durability. Poly-Vinyl Chloride (PVC) Gloves: PVC gloves resists acids but not petroleum solvents PVC is a synthetic thermoplastic polymer that provides excellent resistance to most oils, acids, fats, alcohols and glycol ethers. In its heavier forms, it also offers superior abrasion resistance. While it maintains performance at temperatures ranging from 25°F to 150°F, specially formulated PVC is available for temperatures from 25°F to -30°F. As with neoprene, PVC glove liners can be treated to prevent bacterial growth. Some knit or canvas gloves can also be coated with PVC to allow for a better grip. Vinyl can provide abrasion resistance while also resisting most acids, oils, fats, caustics and petroleum hydrocarbons. It is often used as a coating over canvas or cotton liners, allowing for flexibility and breathability. However, to be chemically resistant, the gloves need a full coating, not just coating over the fingers and palm. Vinyl gloves are often disposable and fairly inexpensive. Viton: excellent resistance to chlorinated and aromatic solvents Specialty chemical gloves Certain materials, such as butyl, Viton (a fluoroclastomer), or Norfoil (a flexible laminate) can provide protection against some of the more hazardous chemicals. Butyl provides the highest permeation resistance to gas or water vapors and is ideal for use in ketones, acetone and esters. Norfoil protects the hand from most solvents, hydrocarbons, ketones, acids and caustics, while Viton is made for handling chlorinated and aromatic solvents. Both Norfoil and Viton, however, offer little protection from cuts or abrasions. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gloves offer much more protection. They can be used to guard hands from harmful gases and are inert to strong solvents such as aromatics, aliphatics and chlorinated solvents. However, PVA is water-soluble, so avoid contact with water to maintain the gloves' integrity.

Recommended Brands

Vileda
Mr.Clean
Playtex
Cumfies
Keepsafe
Click
Ansell
Marigold
Polyco

Precautions

It is important only to wear gloves when it is necessary for the task you are undertaking. Unnecessary and prolonged use of gloves can lead to adverse reactions and skin sensitivity Keep in mind that no disposable glove will provide perfect protection. You still need to work carefully and avoid contact with chemicals. If hazardous chemicals are spilled on disposable gloves, they should be discarded and replaced as soon as possible. Look at glove selection guides in catalogues or web sites of various scientific and safety suppliers. Gloves are rated for degradation, breakthrough, and permeation rates. Choose a glove that provides the best resistance to the chemical being used. For some hazards double gloving may be needed. (For example, now the recommended gloves for dimethyl mercury are a highly resistant laminate glove (Silver-Shield or 4H), which has no abrasion/cut resistance, worn under a pair of long cuffed unsupported neoprene, nitrile, or similar heavy-duty glove.) A glove you are wearing may appear to be intact even when it is not. Therefore, it is important to choose the right type of glove to wear when using a particular substance so you will not be unknowingly exposed to a hazardous material.

Handling

Follow these steps to safely remove the rubber gloves in order to keep chemicals and contaminants sealed inside the gloves and off your hands. 1) Rinse the gloves off under the tap if they are visibly dirty and shake them dry. 2) Hold the right hand out with the palm facing up. 3) Pinch a portion of the glove that covers the inside of the wrist on the right hand using the gloved left hand. 4) Pull the glove down about half way over the palm, turning it inside out. Do not completely remove the glove. Let go of the glove after you pull it down over the palm. 5) Use the right thumb and index finger to repeat these steps on the left hand. 6) Pinch the outside of glove above the inner portion of the left wrist and completely remove the glove on the left hand. Continue holding the left glove with the right thumb and index finger. 7) Pull up a portion of the right glove with the bare left thumb and index finger. Touch only the inside portion of the glove that has been turned inside out. 8) Remove the right glove by pulling down with the left thumb and index finder. As you pull down, the left glove that has already been removed should fold up inside the right hand glove. 9) Avoid touching the outside of the gloves with bare hands.

Storage

Gloves should be stored in a cool environment, shielded from ozone and ultraviolet (UV) light.

Disposal

Dispose of the rubber gloves in a proper container.
Gloves that were in contact with certain substances like chemicals and bodily fluids cannot be thrown away in public trash receptacles.

Mantainance

Before reusing any safety gloves that have been exposed to chemicals, check the chemical’s toxicity.
They will need to be thoroughly cleaned, or you may need to discard the gloves after each use.
Utensils such as reusable rubber gloves should be washed in soapy water, then soaked in one disinfectant (such as a chlorine solution) for at least five minutes.
The utensils are then rinsed thoroughly before being used again.