The International Safety Equipment Association has published an updated standard for hand protection that helps specifiers and users make better-informed
The International Safety Equipment Association has published an updated standard for hand protection that helps specifiers and users make better-informed decisions in selecting gloves for particular tasks. Notes ISEA Technical Director Janice Comer Bradley, The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA] mandates that employers select and require employees to use appropriate hand protection where there is workplace exposure to hazards such as chemical burns or severe cuts or lacerations. The revised American National Standard for Hand Protection Selection Criteria [ANSI/ISEA 105-2005] provides guidance for selecting the correct gloves that will protect workers and assist employers in compliance with OSHA regulations.
The revised standard replaces the original published in 2000. Bradley noted that the past practice of rating work gloves’ protection level as good, fair or poor created inconsistencies among glove manufacturers in rating their products’ protective ability. By contrast, the updated standard provides a numeric-scale method for manufacturers to rate gloves against certain contaminants and exposures. Performance and pass/fail criteria are given for cut, puncture and abrasion resistance; chemical permeation and degradation; hole detection; and, heat and flame resistance.
Also new in the 2005 standard are tests and selection criteria for vibration reduction and dexterity. Test methods and classification levels for product characteristics have been updated to reflect the latest materials performance and technology and to harmonize with other existing standards. Recommended selection procedure and reference information is included for special applications involving biological protection, extreme temperature, clean rooms, hazardous materials response, electrical protection, and radiation hazards.