Cuts and punctures are the leading cause of workplace hand injuries, a problem that can be prevented. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – a branch of the United States Department of Labor – has been monitoring non-fatal workplace injuries over the last 10 years. In its reporting, upper extremities have continuously topped the list of non-fatal injuries. Hand injuries account for the largest portion of injuries. In 2015, more than 900,000 non-fatal injuries requiring leave of work were reported. Of those, nearly 125,000 were hand injuries. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics partnered with the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) in 2015 to complete a deeper study looking at the contributing factors to hand injuries in the workplace. More than 400 safety professionals were asked to rank which type of hand injury was most common. The largest response – at 41 percent – was hand injuries due to cuts or punctures. The top cited reason – at 40 percent – was lack of cut-resistant gloves. The bottom line: In 2015, there were 124,540 work-related hand injuries reported with the leading cause being cuts due to lack of cut-resistant gloves.

Buying Good Cut-Resistant Gloves

Hand injuries can easily be avoided by making sure workers have quality gloves. Investing in good cut-resistant gloves not only keeps employees safe, it also pays off in the long run. When a worker gets hurt on the job, production can drop as the injured employee misses work to recover. There may even be expenses such as medical costs, worker’s compensation and insurance hikes that can set a company back. Keeping employees in high quality gloves is worth the investment. Purchasing the right kind of glove for the job is important. While there are many gloves for different types of cutting, buyers will want to take these main factors into consideration.

A good glove:

• Is made of durable cut resistant fiber
• Has a good grip on dry, wet or oily surfaces
• Is comfortable and flexible
• Might need to be touchscreen compatible

  The G-Tek KEV glove, for example, has a Nitrile Micro Finish coating on the palm and fingertips which provides better grip in dry, wet and oily conditions by reacting like tiny suction cups that attach themselves firmly to the material being handled; it’s ideal for glass handling, material handling and fishing industries. A more affordable glove, the N9676G - Ninja Max with bi-polymer material on the palm offers good dexterity and sense of touch and is perfect for automotive assembly and sheet metal cutting. West Chester makes a glove with rugged HPPE fiber that is 10 times stronger than steel and 40 percent stronger than blended fabrics, a good choice for many cutting applications as well. If you’re not sure what size glove you should be buying, PIP has a printable chart that makes it easy. Just place your hand over the handprint to see your size. Click here to see the chart.