Industrial settings present a range of hazards that potentially threaten worker safety. This is amplified when multiple risk factors are present, such as exposure to chemical substances or other liquids, coupled with cut risk.

Until now, safety managers have been required to employ a ‘one-glove-fits-all-applications’ mentality, or to focus solely on the primary hazard when determining the appropriate hand protection alternative. This approach is ultimately flawed — and may even introduce new risks — because it usually entails compromise in vital areas such as comfort, dexterity and grip.

The provision of unsuitable protection, or an environment that encourages workers to ‘double-glove’ — to wear separate cut and chemical protective gloves simultaneously — when faced with multiple exposures, will often lead to non-compliance of personal protective equipment (PPE) policy. This unnecessarily opens workers up to increased risk of harm and can have serious detrimental impact on productivity and profitability.

Fortunately, continual advances in technology are delivering material improvements that assist in development of superior specialist hand protection solutions, rendering the need to choose between one hazard or another obsolete.