Which Glove Type Do You Need: Cut or Abrasion Resistant?

Making informed decisions about hand protection will go a long way toward preventing injuries.
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How to choose the appropriate type of hand protection.

By: Maureen Paraventi

Hands are complex structures. They are strong and supple, flexible and capable of considerable functionality, but they also vulnerable to injury. The same collection of bones and muscles, joints and tendons that allow us to grip and lift heavy objects and perform precise movements can easily be damaged — especially when hands are exposed to potentially dangerous objects, as they are in many kinds of workplaces.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics¹, there were 130,760 nonfatal hand and wrist injuries in private industry in 2020 that involved days away from work. The types of injuries included open winds, cuts and lacerations, puncture wounds and abrasions and scratches. Consequences can be short-term or life-changing, and can even include exposure to blood-borne pathogens and diseases.

While it does not address specific body parts, OSHA’s Safety Pays estimator² pegs the direct costs of lacerations at $21,872 and the indirect costs $24,059. For punctures, those figures are $27,804 and $30,584. OSHA’s Safety Pays program is intended to raise awareness of how occupational injuries and illnesses can impact a company’s profitability. The estimator uses a company’s profit margin, the average costs of an injury or illness, and an indirect cost multiplier to project the amount of sales a company would need to generate to cover those costs.

Engineering controls and safe work practices should be the top priorities when mitigating the risk of any type of occupational injury, but personal protective equipment (PPE) like cut-resistant and abrasion-resistant gloves has a role to play as well. Assessing the risks involved in specific applications and making informed decisions about hand protection will go a long way toward preventing injuries. Some gloves — such as those manufactured from steel core, High Performance Polyethylene (HPPE) and Spectra fiber — can be both cut and abrasion-resistant.

Hazard Types

• Cut hazards: Sharp objects or surfaces, sharp blades.
• Resistance hazards: Rough materials and surfaces, operating heavy machinery.

MATERIAL TYPES

• Cut resistant materials include:
  • Metal mesh gloves protect against both cuts and punctures, but do not allow for a wide range of motion.
  • HPPE fibers, used in high-strength composite blends, protect against cuts and abrasions.
  • Glass fiber is strong and comfortable to wear. It resists cuts, water and fire.
  • Steel core gloves are ideal for heavy duty tasks.
  • Basalt fiber contributes strength and fire resistance to gloves, in addition to providing cut and abrasion resistance.
  • Fiber-metal blends offer flexibility and is appropriate for tasks that require dexterity.
  • Kevlar Aramid fiber is lightweight, flexible, strong and flame-resistant.
  • Spectra fiber is 10 times stronger than steel, but still flexible.
  • Dyneema is 15 times stronger than steel. In addition to being cut resistant, it is also chemical- and moisture-resistant, which makes it a good choice for complex applications.
  • Super Fabric lives up to its name, by offering resistance to cuts, abrasions and punctures.
• Abrasion resistant materials include:
  • Cotton
  • Leather and synthetic leather
  • Kevlar
  • Dyneema
  • Latex (coating)
  • Nitrile (coating)

Additional thickness, padding and reinforced palms can all increase abrasion resistance, but may also affect dexterity.

LEVELS OF PROTECTION

Once the applications and work environment have been assessed for either cut or abrasion exposure — or both — consulting established protective levels can help in choosing the right gloves:

Cut resistant gloves are rated according to ANSI/ISEA 105-2016, an American National Standard Institute (ANSI)/ International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) standard. The higher the cut level, the more cut resistant a glove is.

• A1: Light cut hazards: Maintenance, warehousing, assembly and construction.
• A2: Light cut hazards: Automotive assembly and repair, construction, metal fabrication, material handling.
• A3: Light/medium cut hazards.
• A4: Medium cut hazards: Automotive, construction, aerospace, glass handling, manufacturing, HVAC, paper and pulp production, food processing, bottle and sheet metal handling.
• A5: Medium/high cut hazards: Automotive, construction, HVAC, metal fabrication, manufacturing, bottling/canning, renovations.
• A6: High cut hazards: Metal stamping, window manufacturing, meat processing and recycling.
• A7: Higher cut hazards: Welding, automotive, sheet metal handling.
• A8: High cut hazards: Oil and gas, sheet metal handling, automotive, welding.
• A9: Highest cut hazards: Pulp handling, glass manufacturing and meat processing.

Abrasion resistance is measured on a seven-level scale, also developed by the ANSI and ISEA. The higher the level, the more resistant to abrasion a glove is:

• Level 0: Minimal abrasion resistance: Sheet and coil processing, press shop operations.
• Level 1: Low abrasion resistance: Assembly and inspection of components with sharp or rough edges
• Level 2: Moderate abrasion resistance: Loading and unloading trucks and boxes, handling parts with rough edges.
• Level 3: Good abrasion resistance: warehouse picking, loading and unloading trucks.
• Level 4: High abrasion resistance: Automotive, construction, warehousing, picking, small part assembly.
• Level 5: Superior abrasion resistance: Automotive, mining and construction; picking; handling, assembly and inspection of components and materials with rough edges.
• Level 6: Exceptional abrasion resistance: Mining, construction, final assembly and sheet metal handling.

As with all forms of PPE, choosing the appropriate type based on applications and potential exposures is just the first step. It must be part of a comprehensive program that includes ensuring that workers wear gloves consistently when necessary, inspecting glove regularly to make sure that they are in good condition and replacing them when they are no longer able to provide the protection needed. WMHS