Hands Up If You're Clear on the New PPE Gloves Regulations

If you are a specifier or purchaser of protective gloves, you need to know that what was simply guidance on choosing gloves for mechanical and/or chemical protection has now become a regulation. Guidance is something you could, in theory, ignore – though at your own risk. Regulation is something you can’t.

Essentially you need to be reconsidering the gloves you choose now, and definitely by 21st  April 2018 when the  new PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425 completely replaces what went before.

The good news is, the new Regulation will actually make it easier for you to identify and chose the right gloves for your application and your workers’ protection.

Too good for their own good

PPE gloves have improved enormously in recent years. Using new, more technical fibres has helped to make them even more effective at providing protection, particularly against mechanical hazards like abrasion, blade cuts, puncturing and tearing.

In fact some of the new fibres are so tough, they actually blunt the circular blade used to test the material, before the level of cut resistance can be properly determined. So you know they ae effective, but not precisely how effective – which can make specifying a slightly risky business.

Now changes to the cut (or “Coup”) test specify a maximum number of test cut cycles. If a material is likely to blunt the test blade before 60 cycles are completed, or if the test gets that far without cutting the material, then an ISO Cut Resistance tomodynamometer (or TDM) test has to be used, which measures the cut force needed, in Newtons.

In real-life, cut hazards don’t get blunter as time goes by. So the new testing regime gives you a much better idea of the way the gloves will actually perform in use.

More than mechanical

While information regarding changes to cut protection standards and regulations has been readily available, changes to the chemical test have been less well-publicised. But if you specify or buy this type of protective glove, you need to be aware of the new levels of protection and the new markings coming into use.

The new markings define gloves as offering Type A, B or C protection levels.

• Type A: 30 minutes minimum breakthrough time for at least 6 defined chemicals
• Type B: 30 minutes for at least 3 defined chemicals
• Type C: 10 minutes for 1 defined chemical

As well as providing a clear indication of the level of protection offered, the new testing is more comprehensive, with the list of defined chemicals for manufacturers and testers to choose from, increased from 12 to 18.

This means you are more likely to find a clear indication of protection provided, for whatever chemical or chemical family is involved in your application.

Time for change

Although the new regulations are already in force, that’s more of an issue for manufacturers than for buyers and end-users. So you have plenty of time before the changes affect you. Gloves you have in stock which are certified under the Directive can still be used. In fact, you’ll still be able to buy them until their certification expires – which may be as far away as 2023. 

The information you need to identify the level of protection – whether mechanical or chemical – should all be available either on the gloves themselves, or in the supporting paperwork provided by a reputable supplier.

Alternatively, you can find full details of the changes, the new legislation, and how your glove choices will be affected, from the British Safety Industry Federation (http://www.bsif.co.uk/ and the HSE (http://www.hse.gov.uk/index.htm).

Or you can talk to the experts at ERIKS. We have years of experience in supplying gloves and other PPE to customers across most industry sectors, and we have the know-how to show for it.