Most manual workers will have sustained a hand injury at some point in their life. Whether it’s a minor scratch, splinter or cut, or more serious injuries such as burns, crushed or severed fingers, all of these can be easily avoided. Gloves can also protect against electrical shock.

A variety of gloves in natural and synthetic materials are available to protect your hands from heat, flames and sparks, sharp objects, chemicals and dangerous power tools.

Choosing the right hand protection

• Know your hand size. Gloves come in different sizes; ensure your gloves fit
• Choose a glove recommended for the job
• Always check for general wear and tear, holes and rips before use
• Do not wash your gloves with solvents, detergents or chemicals that can cause harm and damage

EN 420 – Protective Gloves

This European standard defines the general requirements and relevant test procedures for glove design and construction, resistance of glove materials to water penetration, innocuousness, comfort and efficiency, marking and information supplied by the manufacturer applicable to all protective gloves.

The standard ensures consistency and minimum safety requirements are reached on the following:

• Glove design and construction – including minimum time taken for putting on and taking off glove, strength of seams and suitability for intended use
• Glove materials, degradation products, incorporated substances, seams and edges and particularly those parts of the glove in close contact with the user shall not adversely affect the user’s health and hygiene
• Determination of pH level, chromium (VI) content and extractable protein content
• Finger dexterity – determined by thickness of glove material, its elasticity and its deformability

This standard also covers other optional requirements dependent on the intended use of the glove such as waterproofing and electrostatic properties.

EN 388 – Protective Gloves Against Mechanical Risk

This European standard specifies requirements, test methods, marking and information to be supplied for protective gloves against the mechanical risks of abrasion, blade cut, tear and puncture. This standard is only applicable in conjunction with EN 420.

NOTE: Tear-resistance provides information on the mechanical resistance of the glove but is not indicative of protection against a specific risk. Whilst a high value is normally considered better, a low value is required in case of possible entanglement with moving machinery.

The protective gloves according to this standard shall first meet all the applicable requirements of EN 420.

The standard ensures consistency and minimum safety requirements are reached on the following:

A protective glove against mechanical risks shall have a performance level of 1 or above for at least one of the properties (abrasion, blade cut, tear and puncture) classified according to the minimum requirements for each level shown in the table below.

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