Hi there! My name's Cam and I'm the office manager here at Gregg Distributors.
Welcome back to another episode of Gear up with Gregg's.
Today we're going to be talking about the hazards of chemicals and micro-organisms,
and how to keep our hands safe.
How often have you been on a worksite or had a job
where you needed to go through some form of hazardous material training?
Probably quite a bit, since most workplaces, no matter
whether they're in an office or a construction site, usually have some level of interaction
with chemicals or other hazardous materials.
Working safely with these materials requires adherence to strict procedures
and the use of specially-designed protective equipment, including gloves!
Since our hands are most at risk from chemical splashes or spills,
we need to be sure they have the best protection possible.
The November 2016 update of the EN 374 standard took into account better test methods, global
application, and increased information regarding chemical and micro-organism risk.
The new standard outlines the requirements for permeation, penetration, and degradation.
Now, permeation is the process in which chemicals move through a glove at a molecular level.
There are now three types of glove classifications for permeation: Type A, Type B, and Type C.
These are determined by their performance level and the number of chemicals they can protect against.
The permeation test involves exposing three samples from the palm,
or weakest area of the glove, to chemicals.
For gloves longer than 400mm, and gloves that claim to have cuff protection,
another three samples are taken from the cuff.
The breakthrough times are measured and the lowest result is used.
Type C gloves will protect against at least one chemical for more than 10 minutes,
type B gloves will protect against at least three chemicals for more than 30 minutes,
and type A gloves will protect against at least six chemicals for more than 30 minutes.
The list of chemicals that gloves are tested against was originally 12 chemicals
but has been expanded by 6 chemicals to a new total of 18 testable chemicals.
This is because the industry now uses a lot of chemicals that weren't covered by the old standard.
EN 374 testing is represented by the image of a flask in a shield.
The old beaker symbol has been phased out.
The letters beneath the shield represent the chemical protection offered by the glove.
For instance, a combination of JKL means that the glove has been tested for protection against
n-Heptane, Sodium Hydroxide, and Sulphuric Acid.
EN 374 lists 18 chemicals, but other chemicals and mixtures can also be tested,
depending on the classification of the glove.
Penetration, or leakage, can happen when there are imperfections in a glove,
such as pinholes or failures in a seam.
Now, a penetration test is performed in two different ways,
the first being a air leak test.
This is when the glove is immersed in water and the inside of the glove is pressurized with air.
A leak is detected by a stream of bubbles coming from the surface of the glove.
The second test, the water leak test is similar, the glove is filled with water and any leaks
are detected by the appearance of water droplets on the outside surface of the glove.
Now, the degradation test, measures changes in the glove's physical properties
after exposure to a chemical.
Degradation is the process through which a change to the material occurs,
in this case, through contact with a chemical.
Visual signs of degradation include flaking, swelling, change in appearance,
and hardening of the tested material.
Degradation testing is a new aspect of EN 374
and is carried out by determining the measured puncture resistance of the material
after continuous contact of the external surface with a chemical.
The amount of force to push a stylus through the glove material is measured,
both before and after chemical exposure.
The EN 374 standards also test against micro-organism resistance.
This is depicted as a shield with a biohazard, or micro-organism, symbol.
The levels of protection range from 1 to 3, with 1 being the least protected and 3 being the most protected.
Gloves must carry at least a level 2 rating to be considered micro-organism resistant,
since gloves at level 1 are only considered waterproof.
Micro-organisms include bacteria, fungi, and now viruses.
If the glove is resistant against viruses, there will be the word "virus" below the micro-organism shield.
The North American standard for hand protection, ANSI 105-2016,
has not updated the section on chemical protection since 2011,
but it follows many of the same testing standards as EN 374-1.
So, no matter your work space these gloves have the information readily available right on their surface
to keep you, and your hands, safe.
If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to call us.
Or you can visit our website at greggdistributors.ca.
Again, I'm Cam, and thank you for watching another episode of Gear up with Gregg's.
Have a great Canadian day!