What are anti-impact gloves, cut resistant gloves and ESD gloves? Best gloves 2022

Gloves have been around for over 3,000 years dating as far back as ancient Egypt where the pharaoh used them for ceremonial occasions. Since then, our need to wear gloves has developed and expanded, some people continue to wear them for special events, but most people don their gloves to keep warm and/or to protect their hands. 70% of people who injure their hands at work were not wearing hand protection. It is vital to combat this statistic and keep workers safe by simply handing them a pair of fit for purpose gloves. Anti-impact gloves, cut resistant gloves and ESD gloves are special branches of reusable gloves that have been developed for use in specific industries where the risk of injury to the hands is higher than usual. Anti-impact Gloves Anti-impact or anti-vibration gloves are a must item for those working in industries where they often handle machinery that vibrates at high frequencies. A recent study discovered that: “The vibrations from using a chain saw can numb and injure the hand muscles, nerves or tendons while breaking work and space creation operations are associated with the risk of hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS)” (Yu and Sukigara, 2022). These findings are significant as it shows that vibrations are not only causing workers discomfort, but they have the potential to cause severe damage at nerve level. Luckily, modern technology has created a fine solution, anti-impact gloves. Anti-impact gloves are specifically designed to minimise the impact of vibrations, crushing hazards and offer additional protection from general abrasions to the hands. This is thanks to multiple layers of compressed materials, primarily polyester based, that are carefully constructed into spacer fabrics. Spacer fabric: Fabric that is knitted together to become a stronger structure that can absorb more impact. An example of this is the structure of a bandage. Spacer Fabric The more layers of space fabric used to create a glove the higher the level of absorption and the more protected the wearer will be. Why don’t they just make anti-impact gloves with hundreds of layers? Well, a huge, bulky glove is of relatively no use in most industries if it offers zero dexterity to the worker. Therefore, anti-impact gloves tend to have a space fabric structure on the inner layers and are coated on the outside with a strong flexible material such as nitrile foam. Such a glove would protect the user from vibrations and minimise the risk of serious injury around crushing hazards, but it would resemble an overly large child’s snow glove. To avoid this look – and to avoid the only activity available to the wearer being to make snowballs – textures and grips are added to the outer glove to make them as dexterous as possible. Different palm textures such as sand, rubber and PVC dots give control over to the glove user so they can find the anti-impact glove that offers them the best level of protection and grip. Anti Impact Grip Glove Prices are extremely reasonable for the amount of design that goes into making one of these gloves. At Rapid Fire Supplies we stock the UK’s 3rd rated best anti-impact glove Anti-Impact Grip Glove – Rapid Fire Supplies Official Distributor at an affordable price. A762 - R3 Impact Winter Glove For those looking for top anti-impact protection in the winter months check out the R3 Impact Winter Glove – Rapid Fire Supplies Official Distributor They not only protect the wearer from impacts and vibrations they are also insulated, waterproof and made from durable leather. Cut Resistant Gloves Different hazards call for different innovations to ensure people can access the best possible protection whether this is steel capped boots, thermal heated coats or in this case, cut resistant gloves. Cut resistant gloves are useful in a number of scenarios when working with or in close contact to sharp objects. They keep the wearers hands safe from scratches, cuts and abrasions. Cut resistant gloves protect the wearer by using multiple protective layers like the structure of an anti-impact glove or with strong materials such as “steel chainmail gloves” which are “commonly used in slaughtering houses” (Li, 2020). The use of them in this industry is not only due to the cut resistant glove’s protection, but also the properties of the steel that make the gloves resistant to grease, oils and animal fats. Chain glove with knife Although steel, chainmail, cut resistant gloves are slightly pricier than a layered cut resistant glove, they have stood the test of time! Chainmail has been used for thousands of years protecting kings, legendary knights and even brave horses of the past: “In one thirteenth-century battle six thousand horses were blanketed with chain mail” (Larson, 1940). The types of metal used to make chainmail have developed as have the methods of construction, but the protection it offers in the form of cut resistant gloves is ‘top notch’ and the best way to protect your hands from harmful cuts in high-risk situations. AC01 - Chainmail Glove When deciding which cut resistant glove to purchase first assess your (or your worker’s) environment and select the gloves that will safely minimise risk and manage the hazards that are present. Want to learn more take a look at our chainmail cut resistant gloves available to buy today: Chainmail Glove – Rapid Fire Supplies Official Distributor Alternatively, if a chainmail cut resistant glove is not practical, a UHWPE nitrile foam glove is the perfect choice. UHWPE: Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene. A polyethylene with extra long chains making it stronger and more difficult to penetrate. These cut resistant gloves are lighter whilst containing more layers. Similar design features as the anti-impact gloves provide the gloves with exceptional grip and many are water resistant or offer added thermal protection. A UHWPE based cut resistant glove is a budget friendly choice to supply the whole team with hand protection or to stock up for your private workshop. Take a closer look at our best cut resistant gloves here: Cut Resistant Gloves – Rapid Fire Supplies BSiF Accredited Rounding up our series on reusable specialist gloves is the anti-static glove or ESD glove. ESD: Electro-static dissipative ESD gloves are comparatively cheaper and less impressive looking than the above-mentioned gloves but wearing a pair of them could save your life. This is because ESD gloves work by diverting static electricity which if left undeterred could develop into causing an electric shock and result in serious or even fatal injury. ESD gloves’ pylon and carbon fiber shells dissipate any electrical charges the glove encounters thereby protecting the anti-static glove wearer. Carbon Fiber: A polymer, sometimes known as graphite fiber. It is strong and lightweight. Simply put, it is a fiber that is made from carbon. Considering the amazing level of protection ESD gloves provide they are relatively thin gloves giving the user maximum finger dexterity which is vital for precision work and many anti-static gloves are touch screen compatible. Usually found in garage workshops, electrical component manufacturing and in the car in case of an emergency, they are available to purchase in bulk in a wide variety of sizes so that whoever you are and wherever you work, you will be safe. Shop our range of the best ESD/anti-static gloves here: ESD Work Gloves – Rapid Fire Supplies Protect your Electrical Equipment.

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