Palming off false economy

With the HSE’s (Health & Safety Executive’s) Health
& Safety Statistics Annual Report for 2014 revealing that 24% of the
reported non-fatal injuries to employees were hand related, it is clear that
further education is required for employees and employers alike where PPE is
concerned.

Firstly, it is important to realise what PPE actually does
for your business. Trying to save money by not purchasing the correct type of
PPE for your employees is a significant false economy. There have been cases in
the past, safety glove specific, which have seen companies fined for not
providing the most appropriate PPE. These fines could have been avoided had the
companies in question allocated sufficient safety equipment to its workers. Businesses
should also be concerned about the cost of private medical care, increases in
insurance premiums, litigation costs and a potential cost from the HSE.

Cuts and skin complaints, such as dermatitis, can build up
over time and involve costs greater than a business anticipates. Reporting by
GPs suggests around 40,000 new cases of work-related skin disease are
identified each year, many of which will result in time off work.

This affects a company quite significantly, as not only
would they be a person down, but they would also be forced to pay sick pay to
the employee whilst they recover. In the instance that the employee didn’t need to take time off for their injury,
there is a chance their ability to work could be hindered.

Business reputation could also be affected if you do not
ensure workers have appropriate PPE. Prospective customers and employees are
likely to look elsewhere if they feel a company’s safety standards and
procedures are not up to scratch.

When deciding that PPE is required, and safety gloves are
identified as the ideal solution, the employee and the task at hand must be
considered. To help one choose the most appropriate safety gloves check that
you understand the environmental conditions and hazards being handled and
ensure that the glove fits properly.

Once these main steps have been evaluated, it is time to
select the safety gloves that will best suit the tasks. When selecting safety
gloves, any health and safety professional should look to the EN 388 Standard.
The European Standard EN388: 2003 covers the test requirements for safety
gloves that are sold as protection against mechanical risks that cause cuts and
abrasions.

EN 388 is represented by four numbers, with each displaying a
measurement. The first number depicts the abrasion resistance, with the second representing
blade cut resistance. The third number refers to tear resistance and the final
number shows the puncture resistance level. The test criteria, apart from blade
cut resistance, which is measured on a 1-5 scale, is measured on a 1-4 scale –
with the higher number representing the stronger score.

Once a glove has been tested in accordance with the four
criteria, its performance will be indicated using the EN 388 icon. This icon
must be printed on each glove so that it is easy to tell how much resistance
the glove provides against the four mechanical risks.

Whilst the maximum overall score available on each
performance test would be 4544, this does not necessarily mean it is the ‘best’
score. Each task will have different risks involved and will therefore need a
glove with suitable attributes. For example, a glove selected for use whilst
painting walls will not require a high cut resistance or resistance to
punctures. In this instance, a glove with an EN 388 rating of 4131 may be the
best fit for this kind of task.

The EN 388 Standard tests reflect the hazards that glove
wearers are likely to face in the widest range of handling tasks across the
broadest range of industries. Presenting the results of these tests as
performance numbers – and printing the performance icon on each glove – makes
it easier to assess the suitability of a glove for a particular task.