Chemical protection glove

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chemical protection gloves from top left (starting with yellow) clockwise: latex, chloroprene, nitrile, neoprene, nitrile, nitrile, latex, butyl, laminate, PVA, latex, PVC

Chemical protective gloves are intended to protect the user against direct skin contact with hazardous substances and, as personal protective equipment, are classified in the highest category III (for protection against irreversible damage) (cf. 89/686 / EEC). As a result, they are subject to stricter test criteria than, for example, mechanical protective gloves . In addition to the mechanical properties that a chemical protection glove must meet, the selection of the right glove material comes first.

Selection of the right glove material

Every chemical behaves differently to a protective glove. The manufacturer of a chemical is obliged to provide the user with a safety data sheet. Under item 8 in such a document he must list suitable protective equipment . If there is only the general note “Use suitable protective gloves”, suppliers and manufacturers for personal protective equipment or test laboratories help with the selection of materials.

Materials and finishes

The number of materials used to manufacture chemical protection gloves is manageable (the colors traditionally used are shown in brackets):

In a few cases, material mixes made from the above-mentioned materials are used (e.g. butyl viton or nitrile neoprene). The inside of a glove can either be uncoated, flocked with cotton (“velor”) or with a complete knitted glove (made of cotton or a synthetic material). Uncoated gloves offer the most tactile feeling, an inner velor makes it easier to put on and take off and absorbs sweat to a certain extent, a complete inner jersey ensures better mechanical strength, sweat absorption and heat insulation. So-called disposable gloves can also - if they meet the requirements of certification according to the European standards EN 420, EN 388 and EN 374 - be designated and used as chemical protective gloves.

Necessary certifications

Protective gloves of PPE category III must have the following three performance documents by the manufacturer in accordance with EU Directive 89/686 / EEC. The manufacturer of chemical protection gloves must be able to show these on request:

  1. The EU declaration of conformity . On this, the manufacturer summarizes the performance characteristics of his product and confirms that the glove complies with the applicable European guidelines.
  2. The type examination certificate . With this, an independent, accredited testing institute confirms the performance characteristics of the glove. The European standards EN 420 (basic requirements for a protective glove), EN 388 (mechanical performance features) and EN 374 (chemical performance features) are tested.
  3. A confirmation from an accredited independent testing institute that is no more than one year old that the glove still corresponds to its original properties. Here, the manufacturer of the glove can either have a sample test carried out once a year (cf. 89/686 / EEC Article 11A) or introduce its own quality assurance system, which is checked annually (cf. 89/686 / EEC Article 11B).

Only when these three documents a glove is recognized in the legal sense as Chemical resistant gloves (which in the case of an industrial accident is of relevance).

Labelling

The correct labeling is based on EN 420 and the PPE manufacturer directive 89/686 / EEC:

Identification of a full chemical protection glove
Identification of a simple chemical protection glove
  • Manufacturer's name or its registered trademark
  • Unique product name
  • Numerical size specification (no letters S, M, L, XL!)
  • Printing of the "Book" pictogram (representing EN 420, meaning: read instructions for use)
  • Printing of the "Hammer" pictogram and the 4 performance numbers (representative of EN 388 and the mechanical performance values)
  • Printing of the "Erlenmeyer flask" pictogram and the 3 letters of performance ("full chemical protection glove") or the "beaker with question mark" ("simple chemical protection glove") pictogram (representing EN 374 and the chemical permeation values )
  • Printing of the "Bio Hazard" pictogram (representing EN 374 and the chemical penetration values )
  • Printing of the CE mark
  • Printing of the 4-digit number of the testing institute that is currently carrying out the batch test (11A) or that monitors the implemented quality assurance system (11B). The original type test or the institute that carried it out at the beginning has no relevance here.
  • Attachment of instructions for use, the content of which is also precisely defined in EN 420. Two important criteria are legibility (font size) and language. This must correspond to the language of the country in which the chemical protection glove is used.

The idea behind printing the 4-digit number of the testing institute is that anyone with complaints about the protective glove (e.g. the lack of a guaranteed property) can get the address of the testing institute via the Internet and present their doubts there. The user does not have to contact the manufacturer of the glove, but can switch on a neutral body immediately. The entire labeling must be on the product. If this is not possible for technical reasons, it may be placed on the outer packaging (cf. EN 420 section “Marking”).

The additional printing of the so-called GS mark is not permitted. This is to avoid questioning the CE mark as a European quality feature (see ProdSG, section 5 GS mark, § 20 award of the GS mark).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Council Directive 89/686 / EEC of December 21, 1989 on the approximation of the laws of the member states for personal protective equipment , accessed on March 6, 2013
  2. ↑ EN 420 defines the correct marking on protective gloves.Retrieved on March 6, 2013
  3. ↑ EU page with a list of all accredited testing institutes ( memento of the original from March 8, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been tested. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved March 6, 2013 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / ec.europa.eu
  4. ↑ Product Safety Act, Section 5 GS Mark, Section 20 Award of the GS Mark Accessed on March 6, 2013