Medical-grade gloves are a vital piece of personal protective equipment (PPE) for many professional environments. Though most often used in healthcare settings, disposable medical gloves are also necessary for caregivers, food handlers, dentists and other professionals. Wherever health and sanitation are top concerns, protective gloves are essential. They help stop the spread of germs and viruses, promoting the safety of both employees and those they serve.
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If you need disposable gloves for your professional environment, choosing the best possible kind of glove is critical. You&#;ll need to understand the difference between various disposable glove types. Not all gloves are the same &#; different materials, strength levels and other features lend themselves to distinct purposes. Below, we&#;ll discuss the 10 most important considerations for stocking up on gloves.
Only some disposable gloves qualify as medical gloves. To fit the medical-grade description, disposable gloves must meet Food and Drug Administration (FDA) quality assurance guidelines. These guidelines ensure all gloves used in medical settings are durable and reliable, not flimsy or brittle. For patient examinations, gloves must have an acceptable quality level (AQL) no higher than 2.5. That rating means no more than 2.5% of the gloves in a batch can have defects. These gloves are non-sterile &#; sterile gloves must have an even lower AQL measure.
Manufacturers have to keep up with stringent testing measures to achieve a score of 2.5 or lower. Gloves with an AQL higher than 4 or 5 are only acceptable for mechanical or industrial purposes. Rigorous AQL standards require glove manufacturers to employ uncompromising quality control. The AQL scoring guide helps ensure gloves used for medical purposes are without defects. Tears or other lapses in quality could leave healthcare professionals and their patients vulnerable to pathogens or other contaminants.
Depending on your application, you&#;ll have to decide on an acceptable AQL rating. You may be able to find industry standards, but if not, opt for lower AQL numbers for the best quality disposable gloves. Keep in mind, doctors use gloves with AQL scores of 2.5 or lower during patient examinations. A similar score would likely suffice for your environment unless you need them for surgical purposes.
Disposable gloves with an acceptable AQL rating come in a variety of materials. One of the first things you should consider is your glove material preference. Different glove materials are useful for different purposes, so it&#;s a good idea to learn about the available options before making a bulk purchase.
Nitrile gloves are one of the best alternatives to latex gloves, offering a longer average shelf life. Standard nitrile gloves are an ideal non-sterile option. A powder-free, latex-free nitrile glove is resistant to chemicals, oils and acids. Nitrile&#;s strength makes these gloves tough and helps them stay puncture-free, even when worn for extended periods. If latex allergies are an issue, nitrile gloves offer a flexible, touch-sensitive alternative. You can buy bulk orders of nitrile gloves in a variety of colors and sizes.
Latex is a comfortable, inexpensive glove option suitable for most medical environments. They&#;ve been a staple of many healthcare facilities since the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic of the s. With that said, latex allergies are common. There&#;s a high likelihood someone in your organization or someone you serve will have a latex allergy. If you&#;re purchasing gloves for widespread use, you might consider a material less likely to cause allergic reactions, such as nitrile or vinyl. Latex also has a short shelf life compared to other materials.
Another option is a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) glove. PVC is a common synthetic plastic polymer. Since they&#;re easy to mass-produce, these gloves are one of the least expensive options. They&#;re also less durable than other glove types, and they offer limited hazard protection. For that reason, PVC gloves are best suited for low-hazard applications. In some cases, a nitrile-vinyl blend glove may be the best choice for affordability and durability.
For most applications, one of the above-listed materials will suffice. Here are a few other material choices you might consider for latex-free medical gloves:
For a glove to have a &#;sterile&#; rating, it must meet strict FDA guidelines. Sterile medical gloves are acceptable for surgical purposes, so they must have the best possible AQL ratings. Sterile gloves must have an acceptable quality level of 1.5 or lower. As mentioned above, examination gloves can have an AQL as high as 2.5, so sterile gloves can be considered even safer. Because their manufacture requires strict testing, sterile gloves may have a higher price.
Though the term &#;non-sterile&#; may sound concerning, non-sterile gloves with an AQL of 2.5 or lower are acceptable for any non-surgical purposes. Using non-sterile gloves in non-surgical settings is safe and reduces the risk of disease transmission. Most healthcare workers use non-sterile gloves for patient examination purposes.
Non-sterile gloves work well for other applications, as well. If you&#;re looking for disposable gloves for routine cleaning, food service, caregiving or other purposes, non-sterile gloves should be fine. It&#;s vital to decide on an acceptable AQL rating for your purposes.
You may come across powdered and non-powdered glove options. Powdered gloves feature cornstarch coatings, which makes them easier to put on and prevents them from sticking together. Though this can improve convenience, the FDA has banned powdered gloves for surgery and patient examination purposes.
According to the FDA, the risks of powdered gloves in medical settings outweigh the benefits. The powder can cling to the wearer&#;s skin, causing irritation, inflammation or allergic reactions. It can also cause surgical complications involving peritoneal adhesions, which are a type of bond between a person&#;s organs. Though the ban does not yet extend to food service applications, loose cornstarch from powdered gloves may cause food contamination. In most instances, a non-powdered glove is a preferable choice.
You should also consider glove thickness. Thicker gloves provide a stronger protective barrier. They also better resist tears, allowing for a longer wear time. A heavy-duty, industrial-grade glove will offer more thickness than a lighter, thinner glove.
With that said, a thicker glove may dull touch sensitivity, which isn&#;t ideal in certain settings. If your application requires a high level of touch sensitivity, you might opt for thinner gloves made from a durable material, such as nitrile. When browsing glove options, look for thickness measurements in mils.
Certain situations call for a high level of tactile or touch sensitivity. For instance, a surgeon needs unimpaired touch sensitivity to perform surgery with the necessary precision and accuracy. Tactile-sensitive gloves made of a lightweight material will allow for precision levels similar to an ungloved hand. Sensitivity may also be necessary for a number of applications, including food preparation, electronic handling and pharmaceuticals.
You should also consider glove comfort and fit, including various size options. Depending on your application, your staff may need to wear gloves while performing complex tasks. They may also need to wear their gloves for extended periods. It&#;s vital to choose comfortable gloves &#; an uncomfortable glove may hinder someone&#;s ability to perform their necessary responsibilities.
Size options are an essential consideration. If a glove is too small, it may cause irritability or limit blood circulation to the wearer&#;s hand, making the fit distracting and uncomfortable. A too-small glove is more likely to tear, as well, compromising its protective barrier.
If a glove is too large, other concerns may arise. Loose space between the glove and the wearer&#;s skin may leave the wearer vulnerable to pathogens. A glove that&#;s too big is also likely to fall off, causing a significant contamination concern. When buying gloves, be sure to acquire several sizes, at least small, medium and large.
Tensile strength refers to a material&#;s resistance to breaking when stretched or pulled. Gloves with higher tensile strength ratings are more tear-resistant. Nitrile and latex are both materials with high tensile strength ratings &#; you can tug and pull on them quite a bit before they&#;ll start to tear. Since a tear would compromise a glove&#;s protection, tensile strength is essential. It&#;s an important measurement to acknowledge, especially for applications requiring hand dexterity.
Though you may not think twice about glove color, it can make a notable difference. You may choose to color code your gloves so staff can easily differentiate between various glove types. For instance, you might choose blue for latex gloves and black for non-latex gloves, so those with a latex allergy will have no trouble selecting the non-latex gloves. If you need both sterile and non-sterile gloves, color coding could again be useful.
Certain glove colors also make tears more apparent. If you wear a dark-colored glove on top of a light-colored glove, tears will be easy to identify. You can then change gloves as soon as possible after a tear, minimizing contamination risks.
You may wonder whether or not double-gloving offers more protection than wearing a single glove. According to a study conducted by the National Institute of Health (NIH), double-gloving is an effective way to protect the wearer from pathogens and other harmful substances. They found that while glove perforations were common, there were no instances of inner double-glove perforation. The NIH recommends double-gloving as a routine practice for operating rooms.
Standardizing double-gloving may help you promote your staff&#;s safety and wellbeing. Should you choose to do so, you may need to store greater quantities of gloves. It&#;s a good idea to order gloves in bulk amounts for this purpose.
The final factor you should consider is a glove&#;s shelf life. Buying disposable gloves in bulk will ensure you always have gloves available when needed &#; but it may also mean some gloves sit unused for extended periods. A glove&#;s shelf life depends most on its material. Nitrile gloves last longer than any other material. You should always check the manufacturer&#;s guidelines, but most nitrile gloves will last in their original packaging for several years.
In most cases, it&#;s easy to tell if a glove is compromised. A compromised glove may have surface cracks or feel brittle to the touch. Always wear gloves with normal tensile strength and durability, and keep careful track of how long your gloves have sat on the shelf.
Proper storage can help make gloves last longer. For short or long-term glove storage, you should keep gloves:
When deciding where to store your gloves, opt for a cool, dark environment. In most cases, a shelf in a secluded closet will do fine. Proper storage will help you extend your gloves&#; shelf life, saving you time and money long-term and minimizing waste.
Choosing the right gloves for your application can make your environment safer, healthier and more productive. When shopping for new disposable gloves, consider several factors &#; the material, AQL, durability, comfort, dexterity, color and additional features. Each of these factors is significant. Once you&#;ve chosen the right gloves for you, be sure to purchase as many as you may need and follow best storage practices.
Reliable PPE, including gloves, masks, gowns and hand sanitizer, is vital for many settings. It can help prevent the spread of germs and viruses and reduce the risk of contamination. If you&#;re looking for the highest-rated PPE, choose SUNLINE Supply. Here at SUNLINE Supply, we offer affordable prices, convenient bulk buying options and fast shipping for all your occupational PPE needs. If you have any questions about our top-quality PPE products, contact us today.
When working in a dangerous environment, the safety of workers should always be the number one priority. This means that supervisors should consider all of their options when selecting personal protective equipment (PPE) for their employees to ensure a safe and comfortable work environment.
However, it can be difficult to know what qualities to look for in PPE for different industries. Fortunately, there are some common characteristics and situations across all industries that make it easier to find the right equipment to suit your needs.
The experts and innovators at Tuff-N-Lite are here with the seven most important qualities to consider when choosing PPE for your workers. By the time you finish reading this guide, you&#;ll know what kind of equipment to seek out to ensure safety and comfort at your workplace.
There are seven essential factors to consider when figuring out which PPE is the right fit for your work environment.
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One of the first things you need to consider when selecting the right PPE is the climate that people will be working in. If you buy PPE that is too heavy for a hot environment, your workers can get fatigued, and accidents are more likely to occur. Conversely, if you buy PPE that is too light for a cold climate, workers can become uncomfortable, and this impairs coordination and can lead to injuries and decreased production throughput.
If you&#;re working indoors in a climate-controlled environment, you have plenty of options since the climate can be controlled to some degree to ensure comfort. Generally, pullovers are recommended for climate-controlled spaces since there are no dangling zippers or loose ends to interfere with work. Another factor to consider is whether your company has a culture of safe behavior. This is the x-factor at every company.
Culture is human behavior and behavior is the hardest thing to change in an organization. If employees constantly leave their jackets unzipped, or forget to wear their PPE then we recommend Pullovers instead of Jackets. If you have a safety-conscious workforce that follows all the rules then jackets are acceptable. Let&#;s face facts, no one wants to be a &#;safety cop&#; and walk around saying &#;zip up your jacket&#; all day long.
If you work outdoors or go-between inside and outside throughout the day, you will want to look into PPE that can be zipped open or closed. This way, you can personally adjust to whatever climate you are facing without sacrificing safety.
Another factor to consider is the threat level of the job being done by the person who will be wearing the PPE. You have to ask yourself as a supervisor: how dangerous is the production process this person will be in?
If your workers are in an environment where heavy annealed glass is being moved around frequently, you need high-level PPE. Half-inch annealed glass can break and become as sharp as a scalpel, posing a serious threat to workers. In this instance, they would need PPE with higher levels of cut protection to prevent a tragedy.
However, if your workers are handling quarter-inch tempered glass, there is less risk for serious or fatal accidents. In this instance, level 4 or 5 gear is sufficient for protecting them.
After assessing the threat level, you can choose your equipment correctly. Simply put: the higher the threat level, the higher the cut protection level should be.
A significant point of contention when it comes to PPE is how to balance comfort and safety with wearable equipment. When people are working, they like to be comfortable. If everyone working is uncomfortable, work morale drops, and the chance for careless accidents increases exponentially. To avoid this, finding a balance is vital.
In this regard, it is most important not to overcompensate and buy equipment for a higher safety rating than you need. The higher-rated a piece of PPE is, the heavier it gets. Not only will this fatigue workers, but they might be too stiff and uncomfortable to do their job efficiently.
Finding a proper balance begins with assessing the threat level of any given task and selecting the best equipment to cover the worker doing it. Just make sure you don&#;t go overboard!
In the workplace, a lack of spatial awareness from employees can lead to accidents. Injuries caused by forklifts, trucks, and other vehicles are all common in factories and warehouses across the country, and should absolutely be a factor when choosing the proper PPE for workers.
If workers are going to be around vehicles of any kind or working in low-light areas, they need PPE with Class 3 Hi-Visibility tape. This is now required for anyone working at Airports in the USA, and PPE needs more than 300 square inches of hi-visibility reflective tape. This reflective material reflects light back at headlights and ensures people are visible at all times and can help save lives and injuries.
Perhaps the most overlooked factor when choosing PPE is making sure that the equipment is appropriately sized for each worker. In a lot of jobs where manual labor is involved, loose clothing helps keep workers comfortable. However, baggy clothes can easily get caught in machines or on passing vehicles, with possibly catastrophic results.
In order to avoid this, take the time to find out what size clothing your workers wear. Their PPE doesn&#;t have to be perfectly form-fitting, but it shouldn&#;t be baggy. Also, take into consideration the length of a worker&#;s neck, especially when glass and other sharp objects are involved. Collars should cover a person&#;s neck entirely in these fields. That coverage can save lives.
What industry you serve has an effect on the PPE you should choose as well. There is no one tool that can do it all, and you need to be sure that you choose protection equipment for your workers carefully.
For instance, some PPE clothing has wire in the yarn, which can potentially be fatal if workers are exposed to electricity or work in an environment where there is an electrical threat. Likewise, if there is a fire threat, then your PPE shouldn&#;t be made of HPPE (high-performance polyethylene) since it can melt into the skin and cause permanent damage.
People working in the police or defense fields should also have higher-level material near the neck since they are most prone to stabbing or slashing in that vulnerable area. In addition, their PPE should have increased padding on arms and sides to protect from physical blows that may occur while on the job.
If your industry has special requirements that must be met, chances are that PPE exists to meet them. It is crucial that you take the time to assess the possible dangers or unique situations that your industry presents and find the right PPE to protect workers who encounter them.
Cost is a big consideration for choosing PPE, especially the larger a company gets.
How much PPE costs is determined by several factors.
The most prevailing cost-determining factor is the level of resistance, whether it be cut-resistance, electrical-resistance, or flame-resistance.
Generally, there is no significant difference in cost between the three types of PPE, since they all protect against different things with little overlap. However, there is a steady increase in price as the level of resistance gets higher in each piece of equipment. For instance, a level 4 cut-resistant jacket is going to cost considerably less than a level 8 jacket.
The cost of PPE is always brought up when deciding what to buy for workers, and not without reason. Outfitting employees with PPE is an expensive endeavor and not a decision that should be made lightly. However, should the cost of equipment be the deciding factor when deciding what PPE to purchase?
This might be surprising to some, but the answer to that question is no. As Tuff-N-Lite CEO Matt Kolmes says, &#;Don&#;t be worried about cost. Be worried about not having the right tool for the job and how long your PPE lasts.&#; Cost is not as useful as &#;cost in use.&#;
To illustrate this point we use the glove example.
Company A has a policy: They never pay more than $5 dollars for a pair of gloves. Their employees consume these gloves at a rate of one pair per shift, or one pair per week depending upon the employee and how much power they use when handling tools. We provided gloves to this company that was $19 dollars a pair and six weeks later they were all working in the original gloves provided to each employee. It is clear that their policy of never paying more than $5 dollars for a pair of gloves cost them tens of thousands of dollars per year. This is why we look at &#;cost in use&#; and opposed to &#;cost&#; only.&#;
PPE saves lives. The six key factors we discussed earlier all contribute to that fact. By focusing on those elements, you can make sure that your employees are safe and comfortable while doing their job, so they can have better morale and work more productively.
Too many times companies underspend on PPE and pay the price when accidents occur. Kolmes says, &#;I think people should be very wary of cheap PPE. I think that a cheap safety jacket can get you killed.&#; If your company is self-insured this can potentially be a disaster for a smaller company.
Inexpensive PPE may also end up costing you more money in the long run as well. If you were to buy cheap safety jackets that cost $150 each but get worn down and need to be replaced every six months, that cost is going to add up quickly. When comparing that to a $300 jacket that will last you more than three years, the savings become apparent.
Let&#;s do some quick math:
Ultimately, that is a $600 difference per person! Thus, looking at long term gain vs short term loss is important to true cost savings.
Safety is a long-term investment, and a higher initial cost will always pay off down the line.
Next time you are deciding which PPE to get for your workers, keep that in mind. Cost is always going to be a factor in this decision, but it shouldn&#;t be the only factor. A healthy balance between cost and safety should always be found.
There are many factors to consider when choosing the right piece of PPE for your workplace. Climate, threat level, vehicles, comfort, sizing, and industry often influence that decision.
As always, the cost is important to consider as well. However, instead of asking how much the PPE will cost, consider what choosing the wrong PPE will cost you.
Now that you are aware of and taking into consideration these six important factors when picking PPE for your workplace, you are ready to make an informed and responsible decision for equipping your workers.
If you still need assistance in making the right decision, our team at Tuff-N-Lite would be happy to help you understand what is needed in your particular workplace.
Get in touch with us to find out how we can help you with workplace safety by contacting us here.
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