A Guide to Safety Glove Standards and Ratings

This post will look at the different types of work gloves and the European safety standards that apply to them, helping you to choose the right hand protection for the job.

If safety gloves are considered necessary after a thorough risk assessment, there are several important factors that should be taken into account:

- Time of use: comfort, weight, breathability, etc.

- Type of use: required level of dexterity, material, etc.

- Work environment: depending on the industry, more or less protection may be necessary.

Protective Gloves (general requirements)

EN ISO 21420 is the standard that all protective gloves must comply with. This standard is generic in nature, it includes aspects such as:

- Tests to be carried out on the gloves.

- Design, manufacture, fabrics, harmful materials and/or allergens.

- Manufacturer's information, among many other global characteristics.

The protection offered by the glove must be shown with markings that accompany the glove.

Mechanical Protection Gloves

Under the EN 388 standard, mechanical safety gloves offer resistance against physical injuries caused by abrasions (A), cuts (B, Couptest), tears (C), punctures (D), cuts (X, ISO test) and impacts (P).

They always appear in the same position, the letters are replaced by numbers from 0 to 4, the higher the numerical value, the greater the protection against that type of risk (in the case of P, if it does not appear, then the glove does not protect against impacts).

Chemical Resistant Gloves

EN ISO 374-1 is the standard that covers hand protection against chemical substances.

- Chemical resistant gloves type A: Resists at least 6 chemicals for more than 30 min.

- Chemical resistant gloves type B: Resists at least 3 chemicals for more than 30 min.

- Chemical resistant gloves type C: Resists at least 1 chemical for more than 10 min.

All chemical resistant gloves are classed as Category III PPE because they protect the user against hazards that can cause irreversible damage or death for a limited period of time.

Microorganism Resistant Gloves

EN ISO 374-5 is the standard that governs and marks gloves that protect against microorganisms.

The first pictogram guarantees protection against fungi and bacteria. If the word "VIRUS" appears, it means the gloves also protect the user against viruses.

Thermal Protection Gloves (heat and/or fire)

The EN 407 standard defines which characteristics safety gloves must meet to protect the user against thermal risks from heat and/or fire.

The markings on the gloves vary depending on whether they are flame resistant or not.

- Flammability (A). Time taken to ignite or burn.

- Contact heat (B). Contact resistance for 15 seconds.

- Convective heat (C).

- Radiant heat (D).

- Small splashes of molten metal (E). Drops that increase the temperature between the inside of the glove and the wearer’s skin.

- Large quantities of molten metal (F). Amount of molten required to cause damage.

Cold Protection Work Gloves

The EN 511 standard sets out the performance requirements for thermal gloves that protect the hands against the cold.

- Protection against convective cold (A).

- Protection against contact or conductive cold (B).

- Water permeability (C).

Values between 0 and 4.

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