Wednesday, 6 August 2014

Never Under-Estimate The Importance Of Work Gloves

By Miranda Sweeney


The protective gear that people use in many different occupations is an essential part of their professional equipment. The human body is susceptible to harm from various sources, and in some jobs protective clothing is not merely an optional item. Modern industry is rife with hazards and potential injuries, so taking safety seriously is not negotiable. Choosing the right work gloves is part of that attitude.

Gloves have various professional applications. Often, they are worn to prevent injuries, such as contusions, lacerations or sprains. Prolonged use of even the most primitive implements, such as gardening or farm tools, can damage the skin or injure the muscles of the hand. Even those who claim that they do not need gloves because their hands are used to such work occasionally suffer a deep cut or twisted finger which could have been avoided by slipping on a pair of gloves before starting work.

Resistance to temperature is another application. Very high temperatures occur in many manufacturing and processing environments. Human hands have a feeble resistance to temperature, lasting no more than a few seconds and not even beyond a comparatively mild heat. Turning up the geyser too high is an example of that. Burn wounds are serious because they have the associated possibility of infection and they sometimes mean a long period without wages.

But it isn't only heat which is a factor. Extreme cold also requires protective measures. People who work in frigid environments needs to use gloves that are both protective and enable enough dexterity for the wearer to perform their tasks. One sometimes sees reports of mountaineers who removed their gloves in an emergency and suffered from frostbite.

Industry sometimes also involves the use of poisonous or corrosive chemicals. The human body cannot withstand these chemicals. Some of them destroy tissue or cause death in minutes. Biological waste, such as medical refuse, may contain infectious viruses or bacteria, some of them terminal in nature.

Corrosion is a notorious characteristic of some common industrial substances. Acids are the most popular among these, but there are others, such as benzene. Another example is caustic soda, which requires the worker to use PVC clothing, which in turn only lasts a few hours. The right material to use is determined by the chemical involved and how concentrated it is.

There are laboratory workers and medical staff who are tasked with handling samples of infectious illnesses. Gloves give these staff a sense of reassurance, allowing them to maintain a more positive attitude in dealing with their patients or research. For example, in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, needle-stick injuries are a common accident and result in the infection of the practitioner. This also happens with other diseases. Exposure to internal bodily fluids, especially during surgery, is a serious risk and is not tolerated in modern medical practice. Medical personnel usually use gossamer-thin latex gloves (which allow surgeons greater freedom of movement) or the thicker nitrile variety.

Some work would be physically impossible without using safety equipment. If a worker loses the use of their hand(s), even partially, they may become useless in their industry. Taking your income in your hands might be more expensive than taking ordinary safety measures.




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