Basic Electrician & Contractor Protection – Gloves

Did you know that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that 712,000 workdays are lost per year due to worker hand injuries, that could be prevented with compliant hand protection? Roughly 4.7 million workers are continually exposed to the potential for hand injury at their workplaces.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Work Injury Reports have also identified that 2 major factors contribute: personal protective equipment not being worn for a majority of the work time, and when it was being worn, that it was not adequate protection. One study indicated that 70% of workers experiencing hand injuries were not wearing gloves, and the other 30% were wearing either inadequate, or damaged gloves.

The problem lies in having hand protection that offers dexterity needed for detail-oriented tasks, while still offering mechanical protection from cuts, punctures and abrasions. Having appropriate protection for the hazards present is important, but being over-protected poses problems as well. Gloves that offer thicker mesh to combat cuts and punctures force the trade off for some dexterity and mobility. Often contractors and electricians believe that the benefits of mobility outweigh the risks of going without protection, and then an accident happens!

Thanks to 3M's new line of hand protection, electricians and contractors now have a variety of options at their disposal so that safety and dexterity can match up regardless of the job needed. The three versions of gloves being released are the General Use Comfort Grip, Cut Resistant Comfort Grip, and the Gripping Material Work Glove. All are very moderately priced.

The General Use Comfort Grip gloves are ideal for light and medium duty jobs that require precision. The palms are coated with nitrile coating to provide a good grip even if wet or oily, while still maintaining flexibility and abrasion resistance.

The Cut Resistant Comfort Grip gloves can handle heavy abrasive or sharp materials, and are excellent for cable preparation or wire handling. These gloves have an EN388 cut level 5 rating and an ANSI cut level 3 rating, as well as having the nitrile palm coating.

The Gripping Material Work Glove is a durable suede glove with padded fingers and 3M's gripping material sewn into the gloves to maintain that great grip regardless of conditions.

For more information about the gloves, or pricing and availability, please contact your local Accu-Tech representative here.