Palming off false economy

With the HSE’s (Health & Safety Executive’s) Health & Safety Statistics Annual Report for 2014 revealing that 24% of the reported non-fatal injuries to employees were hand related, it is clear that further education is required for employees and employers alike where PPE is concerned.

Firstly, it is important to realise what PPE actually does for your business. Trying to save money by not purchasing the correct type of PPE for your employees is a significant false economy. There have been cases in the past, safety glove specific, which have seen companies fined for not providing the most appropriate PPE. These fines could have been avoided had the companies in question allocated sufficient safety equipment to its workers. Businesses should also be concerned about the cost of private medical care, increases in insurance premiums, litigation costs and a potential cost from the HSE.

Cuts and skin complaints, such as dermatitis, can build up over time and involve costs greater than a business anticipates. Reporting by GPs suggests around 40,000 new cases of work-related skin disease are identified each year, many of which will result in time off work.

This affects a company quite significantly, as not only would they be a person down, but they would also be forced to pay sick pay to the employee whilst they recover. In the instance that the employee didn’t need to take time off for their injury, there is a chance their ability to work could be hindered.

Business reputation could also be affected if you do not ensure workers have appropriate PPE. Prospective customers and employees are likely to look elsewhere if they feel a company’s safety standards and procedures are not up to scratch.

When deciding that PPE is required, and safety gloves are identified as the ideal solution, the employee and the task at hand must be considered. To help one choose the most appropriate safety gloves check that you understand the environmental conditions and hazards being handled and ensure that the glove fits properly.

Once these main steps have been evaluated, it is time to select the safety gloves that will best suit the tasks. When selecting safety gloves, any health and safety professional should look to the EN 388 Standard. The European Standard EN388: 2003 covers the test requirements for safety gloves that are sold as protection against mechanical risks that cause cuts and abrasions.

EN 388 is represented by four numbers, with each displaying a measurement. The first number depicts the abrasion resistance, with the second representing blade cut resistance. The third number refers to tear resistance and the final number shows the puncture resistance level. The test criteria, apart from blade cut resistance, which is measured on a 1-5 scale, is measured on a 1-4 scale – with the higher number representing the stronger score.

Once a glove has been tested in accordance with the four criteria, its performance will be indicated using the EN 388 icon. This icon must be printed on each glove so that it is easy to tell how much resistance the glove provides against the four mechanical risks.

Whilst the maximum overall score available on each performance test would be 4544, this does not necessarily mean it is the ‘best’ score. Each task will have different risks involved and will therefore need a glove with suitable attributes. For example, a glove selected for use whilst painting walls will not require a high cut resistance or resistance to punctures. In this instance, a glove with an EN 388 rating of 4131 may be the best fit for this kind of task.

The EN 388 Standard tests reflect the hazards that glove wearers are likely to face in the widest range of handling tasks across the broadest range of industries. Presenting the results of these tests as performance numbers – and printing the performance icon on each glove – makes it easier to assess the suitability of a glove for a particular task.