Injuries to the hands and fingers are among the most common in the oil and gas business. Finger and hand injuries account for approximately 34% of all recorded injuries. The silver lining is that there are simple strategies to lessen these hazards, one of which is to wear anti-impact gloves.
The difficult element is deciding on impact resistant hand protection (also known as metacarpal protective gloves). A short Google search reveals dozens of different manufacturers, each with a unique look and pricing. Varied anti-impact glove manufacturers provide vastly different levels of protection and durability. So, here are some pointers to assist you avoid the most typical errors.
1. Prioritize comfort:
It may seem counter-intuitive, but opt for a glove that is comfortable first and foremost. Workers in the field will never wear stiff and bulky gloves since they will have to take them off to conduct their job properly, which is when they will get wounded. 70% of hand injuries occur when workers do not wear hand protection. If you can get your team to constantly wear gloves, you’ve already won half the battle. However, this begs the issue, “How can you tell if a glove is comfortable?” That is, of course, a subjective question, but here are a few practical suggestions.
Look for a glove with a flexible back of the hand. If the glove has a large solid block of rubber on the back of the hand, that is a bad sign. a lack of TPR coverage
Compare picking up a pencil with the glove to other alternative gloves. You should be able to do that without too much problem.
Back-of-hand protection should feature a lot of flex points to make it more comfortable and likely to be worn.
2. Adhesion of Thermoplastic Rubber (TPR) to the Back of the Hand:
When it comes to impact-resistant gloves, how the TPR is attached to the glove is really important. Pick and tug on the TPR; if it peels even slightly, it will fail in the field.
3. Anti-Impact Padding Coverage:
Does the TPR include anti-impact padding at critical impact points? Look particularly at the fingertips and thumb. A good glove should have impact points all along the fingers and up to the fingertips.
Here is an example of a good Anti-Impact glove:
Versus not a very good one:
4. Testing: At the time of writing, there is no common standard for impact protection gloves, although one is on the way.
Having said that, different manufacturers’ gloves have been tested to varying impact criteria.
Some testing is preferable to none. Look for numerical test results rather than visual demonstrations, which might be doctored to have a snake oil effect and can be extremely misleading.
5. Durability: While your gloves will not last forever, having a robust pair is a plus.
For jobs that are hard on gloves, synthetic leather will not provide adequate protection, and genuine leather can be costly. Look for a glove with an abrasion-resistant palm made of a material.
6. Grip Depends on the Environment: Don’t judge a glove’s grip when it’s dry, as this might be deceiving.
The grip of the gloves should be tested in an oiled environment if they are to be used in oily situations.
Look for a material with some oil absorption that will prevent oil from pooling on the surface.
Synthetic porous materials or corded cotton are the finest fabrics for oil grip. In general, synthetic leather with dots gives poor oil grip.
7. Mechanics Style vs. Palm Coat:
There are an increasing number of palm-coated anti-impact gloves available; the advantage of them is that they are generally less expensive and provide superior dexterity. The disadvantage is that they are not as durable as mechanics gloves and do not provide the same level of anti-impact protection.