Reference standard for inspection of protective gloves

The hand plays a very important role in the process of production. But hands are also vulnerable, accounting for about 25 percent of all industrial injuries. Fire and heat, electricity, chemicals, bumps, cuts, abrasions and infections can all cause injury to the hand. Mechanical injuries such as bumps and cuts are more common, but electrical and radiation injuries are more serious and can lead to disability and even death. The role of protective gloves is particularly important to avoid workers' hands from being injured during labor.

Reference standard for inspection of protective gloves

In March 2020, the EU published a new standard :EN ISO 21420:2019 General Requirements and Test Methods for Protective Gloves. The manufacturer of protective gloves must ensure that the material used in the production of the product will not affect the health of the operator. The new EN ISO 21420 standard replaces EN 420. In addition, EN388 is one of the European standards for industrial protective gloves. The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) approved version EN388:2003 on 2 July 2003. EN388:2016 was published in November 2016, replacing EN388:2003, and was revised in 2018 with a supplementary version EN388:2016+A1:2018.

Standards related to protective gloves:

EN 407 Standard for fire and thermal performance gloves

EN 374 Protective gloves for resistance to chemical osmosis

EN 511 Regulation and standard for cold and low temperature resistant gloves

EN 455 Protective gloves Impact cut protection

Test method for protective gloves

In order to ensure the safety of consumers and avoid the loss of dealers due to product quality recall, all protective gloves exported to EU countries must pass the following tests:

1. Field test

EN388:2016 Identifier Description

1.1 Abrasion resistance Abrasion resistance

Take the glove palm material, wear it with sandpaper under a fixed pressure, calculate the number of revolutions of a hole in the wear material, according to the table below, wear grade from 1 to 4 indicates that the higher the number of revolutions, the better the wear resistance.

Level Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

Wear revolutions 100 revolutions 500 revolutions 2000 revolutions 8000 revolutions

1.2 Blade Cut Resistance-Coupe

By moving a rotating circular blade horizontally back and forth across the glove sample, the number of blade rotations is recorded as the blade penetrates the sample. The same blade was used to test the number of cutting cycles of standard canvas before and after the sample test. The cutting resistance of the sample was determined by comparing the wear degree of the blade during the sample and the canvas test. The cutting resistance was divided into 1-5 levels, which were represented by 1-5 numbers.

Level Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5

Coupe anti-cutting test index value 1.2 2.5 5.0 10.0 20.0

1.3 Tear Resistance

The material on the palm of the glove is torn by a tension device, and the tear resistance level of the product is determined by calculating the force required to tear, which is represented by a number between 1 and 4. The higher the force value, the better the tear resistance. (Considering the properties of textile materials, the warp and weft, tear test includes both transverse and longitudinal tests.)

Level Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

Resistance to tear

Newton (N) 10, 25, 50, 75

1.4 Puncture Resistance

Pierce the palm material of the glove with a standard needle and calculate the force used to Pierce to determine the level of puncture resistance of the product, as a number between 1 and 4. The higher the force value, the better the puncture resistance.

Level Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

Resistance to penetration

Newton (N) 20, 60, 100, 150

1.5 Cut Resistance - ISO 13997 TDM test

TDM cutting test is to use the blade to cut the glove palm material at a constant speed, test the walking length of the blade when cutting through the sample under different loads, and calculate (slope) with a precise mathematical formula to find out how much force should be applied to make the blade cut through the sample when walking 20mm.

This test is A new addition to EN388:2016. The result grade is expressed as A-F, with F being the high grade. Compared to the EN 388:2003 coupe test, the TDM test provides a more accurate indicator of working anti-cutting performance.

Grade Grade A Grade B Grade C Grade D Grade E grade F

TMD anti-cutting test

Newton (N) 2, 5, 10, 15, 22, 30

1.6 Impact resistance (EN 13594) Impact Resistance (EN 13594)

The sixth character represents impact protection, an optional test. If the gloves have been tested for impact protection, this information is given by the letter P as the sixth and last symbol. Without P, gloves have no impact protection.

2. Check the appearance of protective gloves

- Name of manufacturer

- Gloves and sizes

- EN Standard identification diagram

These markings should remain legible throughout the life of the glove

3. Check the packing of protective gloves

- Name and address of the manufacturer or representative

- Gloves and sizes

- It is the expected application/usage level, such as "small risk only"

- If the glove provides protection only to specific areas of the opponent, this must be stated, e.g. "Palm protection only"

4. The protective gloves are attached with the instruction manual or operation manual

- Name and address of the manufacturer or representative

- Glove name

- Range of available sizes

- CE Mark

- Maintenance and storage instructions

- Instructions and restrictions on use

- A list of allergenic substances in gloves

- A list of all substances in the glove should be provided upon request

- Name and address of the certification body that certifies the product

- Basic Standards

5. Requirements for harmlessness of protective gloves

- Gloves must provide a large degree of protection;

- The performance of gloves should not be degraded if they have seams;

- pH should be between 3.5 and 9.5;

The content of chromium (VI) should be lower than the detected value (< 3ppm);

- Natural rubber gloves should be tested on extractable proteins to ensure that they do not cause allergic reactions to the wearer;

- If cleaning instructions are provided, performance levels must not be reduced even after large washes.