Why Welders Need Cut-Resistant Gloves

Hand injuries are among the most common workplace injuries, with over a third involving lacerations. It's not hard to understand why, after all, hands are often closest in proximity to workplace hazards. Thankfully, lacerations and cuts are almost entirely preventable with the proper protection. 

One of the easiest ways to prevent hand lacerations is to implement a cut-resistant glove policy that fits your organization's needs. If you already provide your employees with gloves, audit your offerings to ensure they provide the correct level of protection for all the hazards your workers encounter on the job.

For example, welders wear gloves that protect their hands and wrists from the heat, sparks and shock hazards high heat fabrication creates. However, while a standard welding glove provides a certain level of safety, they often lack one crucial aspect- cut protection.

Welding is a multifunctional trade; a welder’s glove should provide multifunctional protection. They need to protect the user's hands from the many hazards in the welding and fabrication environment. Preparation can often take-up 75% of a welder’s time. An angle grinder is one of the most commonly used tools during preparation for cutting, polishing, blending, and grinding. You don’t need to be a welder to understand the sever hazards associated with this powerful tool. Also, during preparation, the welder may handle metals with sharp edges that can also easily cut, puncture, or abrade the hand. A hazard that’s often overlooked is the glove itself. Ill-fitting gloves or gloves that provide little dexterity can put the user at risk while handling tools and materials. Selecting hand protection that can perform at a high level while providing protection is paramount.    

Hand injuries are far too common

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 286,810 non-fatal occupational injuries to upper extremities in 2018. With 43% of those accidents involving hands, they are the second most common type of workplace injury in the United States.

The structure of a hand is complex, comprised of 27 bones, 27 joints, 34 muscles and over 100 ligaments and tendons, often making hand injuries complicated and expensive to treat after an accident. According to the National Safety Council, the average hand injury costs anywhere from $540 to $26,000 for employers.

A compromising hand injury can disrupt workflows and inhibit productivity. For example, imagine that a work-related laceration temporarily disables the thumb of your dominant hand. Now try to tie your shoes without using your thumb. How did it go? Maybe you were successful, perhaps you got frustrated and gave up, but you can see how debilitating a hand injury can be. Thankfully, according to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), 70% of reported hand and arm injuries could have been prevented with the proper hand protection and PPE.

How do cut gloves work

Cut-resistant gloves can dramatically reduce the adverse effects of workplace accidents, but it's critical to understand that cut-resistant is not the same as cut-proof. That's because cut-resistant gloves need to be flexible enough to allow the user's hands to move and cut-proof materials don't allow that dexterity.

Downward force and friction are two leading causes of cuts and tears in fabric. When something sharp pushes down on a material, it creates tension in the material that can result in a rip. When a sharp object moves across a material, it creates friction that starts to pull on the material's fibers. Glove manufacturers achieve cut resistance by using unique materials that counteract that downward force and friction.

Different parts of the globe use distinct testing methods to determine the cut protection level of a glove. For example, North America uses the ANSI/ISEA standard, which you will see on cut gloves represented by a shield with the letter A and a number from 1 to 9. The higher the number, the higher the level of cut resistance.

Selecting the right glove for the task

Most hand injuries result from the injured party not wearing any hand protection or simply making an incorrect glove choice. The confusion is understandable; with so many welding gloves on the market today, picking the right ones can be challenging. However, finding the right balance between welding, impact and cut protection that fits your employees’ unique needs is essential.

Gloves with reinforced side seams provide users extra abrasion resistance while sliding their hands along metal surfaces during welding. The PIP^® 6147 AR Premium Kidskin Leather TIG Welder's Glove with Para-Aramid Liner delivers just that, as well as ANSI A7 cut and level 4 puncture protection.

Impact resistance is also something to look for when choosing the right welding glove. Welders constantly move and position heavy pieces of material, exposing their fingers and hands to possible pinching and crushing accidents. Gloves equipped with impact protection can lessen the effects of these common injuries. The PIP^® 6244 Premium Kidskin Leather TIG Welder's Glove with TPR Impact Protection is another great option. In addition to impact protection, they offer users cut level 4 and puncture level 2 protection.

The PIP^® 1877 21” Premium Deerskin Welders Glove not only provides ANSI A5 cut protection for the hands but also protects against sparks, spatter, and abrasion for the forearms with its extended cuff that covers to the elbow. The reinforcement patches provide additional heat and abrasion resistance. 

Finally, welding gloves need to resist the heat of welding. The PIP^® 1521 Premium Goat Grain MIG/Stick Welders Glove with wool insulation provides superior heat resistance, enhanced comfort, dexterity, and an ANSI cut level of A5.

To learn more about how modern welding gloves with additional protection can help your business reduce workplace hand injuries, check out the PIP^® best-selling Caiman^® and Ironcat^® welding gloves today.