Switch to cut resistant gloves? Myths debunked and facts unleashed!

Industrial accidents can have a drastic impact on a worker’s mental and physical health, besides affecting work. You can’t ensure to fully avoid accidents because there’s still a scope of pretty minor accidents like cuts or abrasions (yes, they do count as accidents) happening. 

But the good news is that you can provide enough safety to workers and yourself as contractors. As most of their work involves working with hands, cut resistant gloves can be a great addition to their work kit. Such gloves can surely help them protect their hands from cuts while working with sharp tools like knives or sharp materials like metal.

But do you really need one?

Of course yes! Almost 80% of the injuries caused to contractors and workers are related to their hands and this leads to 30% of productivity and time loss!

But not all cut resistant gloves are the same!

Cut resistance is a function of the glove’s material and thickness. But if you think that getting the thickest possible glove will help protect against hazards, then it’s not true. If the glove is too thick to wear that it affects mobility and causes discomfort, then it’s nothing less than a waste.

Cut-resistant gloves offer different materials and features, so before choosing the ideal one for yourself, consider the following.

1. Material

Many commonly found safety gloves are made of animal leather that cut relatively easily. But cut resistant gloves need to have a superior cut-resistance than leather ones and have a Kevlar lining as well. Such gloves provide 360-degree protection because they’re made from high-performance yarns like Kevlar or HPPE (High-Performance Polyethylene). 

They provide 5-10 times more protection than traditional leather gloves.

Gloves made with two engineered composite yarns like Kevlar and steel provide almost 20 times more protection than leather gloves.

Dyneema is also one such super cut-resistant, the lightest, and super-strength polyethylene fiber. Providing 15 times more protection than steel and up to 40% more powerful than Kevlar by weight, it floats in water and is durable, is resistant to moisture, UV rays, and chemicals.

There Are other materials also which are available in the market like spectra fiber, metal mesh-interlocked, super fabric, and fiber-metal mixture beside the ones stated above.

But the settings of the workplace are a great determiner of the glove material. Like composite yarn, gloves might make a worker’s job difficult who uses scissors thrice a day as they’re a bit heavy for a small sharp tool like scissors!

2. Cut level of the glove

How do you compare two gloves and know the right cut resistance of the glove you need to work with? For this, ANSI in the US and the European Commission in Europe have provided cut resistance ratings to consider when buying gloves.

In 2016, ANSI and ISEA released an updated classification of 9 levels of cut protection to determine how many grams of cutting load a glove can withstand from a sharp tool or material without penetrating.

A1: 200 - 499 grams

A2: 500 - 999 grams

A3: 1000 - 1499 grams

A4: 1500 - 2199 grams

A5: 2200 - 2999 grams

A6: 3000 - 3999 grams

A7: 4000 - 4999 grams

A8: 5000 - 5999 grams

A9: 6000+ grams

The European standard takes into consideration two different resistance tests: TDM 100 and the Coup Test. TDM 100 cut-resistance levels are:

A: 204 - 508 grams

B: 509 - 1019 grams

C: 1020 - 1529 grams

D: 1530 - 2242 grams

E: 2243 - 3058 grams

F: 3059+ grams

Coup results are more complicated and often result in dull ratings for certain materials, thus not commonly seen.

If your job as a constructor or worker includes rigging, mining, heavy construction, etc., that is, the highest level of chances of a severe cut, then you need gloves with an A5 or higher (ANSI) and/or E to F (EN 388) rating.

For mid-level resistance of tasks like home maintenance, electrical work, etc., look for a cut level between A3 and A5 (ANSI) and/or C to E (EN 388).

For the least resistance gloves, look for lower cut levels, as such gloves offer more flexibility, agility, and comfort, but minimal protection like in catering, sheet metal work, etc.

At Dcglove, there’s a wide range of high-quality, cut-resistant gloves with a varying range of protection and cut levels.

Facts v/s Fiction related to cut resistant gloves

1. Fiction: Cut-resistant gloves mean cut-proof gloves

Fact: No glove is cut proof. If you decide to take a pair of scissors and cut through the glove to see if it gets cut or not, don’t worry, it will incur a cut! Cut-resistant gloves are meant to avoid chances of cut, but wearing gloves just reduces the severity of the cut incurred.

2. Fiction: Higher the cut level, better the resistance

Fact: The fact is that the higher the cut level for your type of work and environment, the better the gloves. If you work with simple tools and materials, then an A5 cut level is of no use as you might not feel comfortable working with such dense gloves.

So choose a glove as per your work.

3. Fiction: Washing reduces cut resistance

Fact: After 1-2 washes, the material of the gloves experiences relaxation-shrinkage, that is, the structure of the gloves contracts and becomes denser. This enhances the gloves’ mechanical properties as when constructed, the glove is in a stretched state.

But the resistance will reduce over time if the gloves’ material is made of brittle, weak, or fragile fibers.

But with Dcglove, you can be assured of the quality of gloves and the desired cut level. Head over here for a range of cut resistant gloves to choose from. Work with a set of gloves that suits your purpose the best as a contractor.