Things To Look for in a Heavy-Duty Work Glove

It’s always important to ensure you have the proper tools for a task—but something equally important is making sure you have the proper safety equipment. Our hands and fingers are naturally vulnerable as we operate machinery or use tools; we must protect them. Therefore, you must acquire the proper gloves designed for just that. Here are things to look for in a heavy-duty work glove.

Cut and Puncture Resistance

When you’re looking for the most effective heavy-duty safety gloves, the first step is to always consider your task. For jobs such as metalworking, carpentry, or kitchen prep, you’ll need gloves designed to resist cuts and punctures caused by sharp objects and tools. The fabric of these gloves is thicker than normal so sharp objects can’t cut through them. However, wearing such thick gloves also makes it difficult to perform tasks that require fine motor skills. Padding is added to further increase the resistance alongside layers of fabric and other abrasion-resistant materials.

Water and Chemical Resistance

For plumbers, mechanists, and agriculturists, the things to look for in a heavy-duty work glove are materials that will protect your skin from liquids and harmful chemicals like pesticides. These gloves aren’t thick like cut-resistant gloves—they’re flexible and are made with non-porous materials. For example, some leather or latex gloves are treated with a waterproof coating to shed water.

Heat and Cold Resistance

If you’re in a profession that deals with extreme temperatures, then the traits to look for depends on whether you’re resisting intense heat or cold. Safety gloves for heat and spark protection are made with fire-retardant materials such as Kevlar, terry knit, or carbon fiber so they don’t catch fire from stray sparks and embers.

Gloves made to protect against extreme cold are lined with heat insulation. They often have several layers of materials. These gloves can prevent the user from getting frostbite.

Electricity Resistance

Gloves are especially important for electrical work since you never know when you may accidentally receive a shock. Prevent electricity from surging throughout your body with gloves made of insulating material such as leather and rubber. These materials are not conductive.