Some Unknown Facts about Cut-resistant Gloves

Cut-resistant gloves are extensively used across various hazardous workplaces to protect the workers’ hands from cuts and lacerations. There are various types of gloves used across these industries, which are broadly categorized as metal mesh gloves, cut-and-sewn gloves, and seamless knitted gloves. While cut-resistant gloves have been used across the UK for very long, there is a lot of miscommunication about them. Thus, for many employers, it is difficult to choose the right type of gloves from the various options that are available in the market. The type of work that has to be performed while wearing them and the level of possible hazards are the most important parameters that should be considered here. But apart from that, you should know about many hidden secrets of cut-resistant gloves. In this write-up, we’ve provided you with information about the most important facts about them.

1. There are two kinds of yarns used

Today, cut-resistant gloves might be available in a wide range of colours, patterns, and designs, but they are made up of only two kinds of yarns, i.e., UHMWPE (Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight-Polyethylene) and para-aramid. These yarns are made up of fibreflass and stainless steel. Although these yarns might be named differently by different brands, the raw ingredients will remain the same.

2. There are mainly two lab tests 

Most cut-resistant gloves have to suffer from two major tests, i.e., EN 388 and ANSI. The first test i.e., EN 388 test is performed using a circular blade that can go back and forth until it cuts through the gloves. Contrary to that, the ANSI test uses a razor blade that is applied to different amounts of forces to measure the length it takes to cut through the glove in a slicing motion.

3. Results vary from test to test

The cut-resistant results performed on the same pair of gloves can vary up to 20% from lab to lab. This means an ANSI cut-level A3 glove can be tested as an ANSI cut-level A4 rating in a different lab. While many companies do not reveal this to their customers, the truth is that cut-resistance testing is not an exact science. Thus, ratings can only serve as a means of sorting out the pair of gloves that should be given a trial, instead of taking them as gospel truth.

4. Cut-resistant gloves can be washed

Many companies around the UK spend a lot on buying high-quality cut-resistant gloves but fail to use it for long because it gets dirty. Many people do not know that cut-resistant gloves can be reused after laundering. Laundered gloves can be easily utilized for the next 4 times. So, next time before tossing the pair of your employee’s gloves, consider tossing them.

Conclusion– Cut-resistant gloves are used in petroleum, construction, food processing, and other industries. They promise different levels of protection against abrasions, incisions, and lacerations. To determine the right variant of gloves that you should purchase, you should know about the above-mentioned facts.