We recently re-published a post on the importance of safety goggles. Today, we’d like to talk about the importance of work gloves to hand safety and how they prevent hand injury. What do you think? Let us know in the comments section!
Work gloves won’t protect your hands from all worksite hazards, but they will increase your hand safety and prevent hand injury from hazards like cuts, abrasion, crushing, electricity, cold, heat, and chemicals (depending on their design). In addition, work gloves can make your job more comfortable by protecting your hands from lesser complaints like minor abrasions, cuts, and temperature extremes (again, depending on their design).
Don’t take our word for it, though. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has hand safety regulations that you and your employer must follow.
According to OSHA, your employer must ensure your hand safety and protect you from hand injury by making sure that you wear appropriate work gloves whenever you’re exposed to certain workplace hazards. These hazards include severe cuts or lacerations, severe abrasions, punctures, chemical or thermal burns, harmful heat or cold extremes, harmful substances that can be absorbed through your skin, or sharp objects. You also must wear electrically insulated work gloves and sleeves, or other protective equipment, when exposed to electrical shocks during electrical work.
You can’t wear just any work gloves, either. According to OSHA, your work gloves should fit snugly and be appropriate to your work and the hazards to which you’ll be exposed. Some examples provided by the agency include welding gloves for welding, heavy-duty rubber gloves for concrete work, and insulated work gloves and sleeves for electrical work.
In short, if you think you need gloves to prevent hand injury at your job, wear them. Not only will they make your work safer and more comfortable, but it’s also the law.
Desert Diamond Industries carries a large selection of work gloves, as well as other safety equipment.
Works Cited
“Hand and Body Protection. – 1915.157.” Hand and Body Protection. – 1915.157. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. < http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10273 >.
“Worker Safety Series – Construction.” Worker Safety Series – Construction. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. < http://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3252/3252.html >.
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