A Guide to Selecting Proper Cut Protection Solutions

A major indicator of the root causes for these injuries is the statistic that indicates 70 percent of industrial workers who experienced hand lacerations were not wearing proper hand protection[i]. Workers should have access to information on the risks that lead to hand injuries, and the basics of hand protection, as part of any good safety management program. A good first step in selecting the proper hand protection is to assess the material the glove is made of since different materials offer varying levels of cut resistance. A leather or cotton glove will provide the worker only light cut protection. Synthetic and high-performance materials will offer medium protection. Gloves made with engineered yarns, like DuPont™ Kevlar®, or metal fibers will offer the highest protection available on the market. In addition, gloves with a polyurethane or nitrile coating provide additional cut resistance benefits, as well as improved grip, which prevents accidental cut injuries when handling wet or oily parts.

[i] Source: 2016 BLS INJURY DATA

Assessing workplace safety hazards, knowing the material characteristics of hand protection options, and applying the new regulatory standards are all critical steps to equip workers with the proper cut protection. Without adequate hand protection, workers are easily distracted and taken out of their comfort zone, resulting in reduced productivity, lost time and injuries. However, with the right understanding of workplace cut risks, and the availability of innovative cut protection solutions, safety managers can select the right protective gloves to keep workers comfortable and protected every day.