Our hands are very important parts of the success in performing our work correctly.  Regardless of the type of work – industrial, driving, or working in the healthcare field, our fingers essentially do the walking and talking for us many times.  Gloves play a very vital role in keeping our hands safe.  It would be hard to name the many types of gloves, but there is basically a glove for every task.  Cotton gloves work well for material handlers, chemical-resistant gloves protect those who work with chemicals, leather gloves for welders, metal-mesh gloves for meat cutters, and ballistic nylon gloves for chain-saw users.  Every occupation is considered in the design and manufacture of gloves.  All environments require certain gloves: for extreme cold in freezers or outdoors in winter, to extreme heat in welding, to lint-free, high technology areas, to radiation-protection in nuclear plants, wearing the correct type of gloves is very important.   In the United States, gloves that are used for food handling, food processing, and the medical industry are certified by the U.S. Drug Administration.  Many workplaces approve gloves by joint health and safety committees.  Some employers set their own standards to ensure their workers are adequately protected. 

There is a definite difference in the requirement of a good fit of work gloves between men and women.  Ill-fitting gloves are a great problem, because workers won’t use them if they feel awkward.  Some women have to make do with gloves that don’t fit – fingers too long or too wide, palm circumference too large, and gauntlet or wristlet too big.  One size does not fit all.  Texas America Safety Company has a choice of gloves for every hand – their manufacturers have ensured that the gloves they sell meet all needs – large enough for big hands, yet selections that fit the hands of smaller men, as well as all types of gloves for women.  Some of the gloves even come in pink, so guys, “hands off” her gloves! 

In choosing safety gloves, here are some things to look for:

• Follow manufacturer’s instructions to get a proper fit.
• Select all exposed skin that is covered by gloves.
• Ensure the glove’s finger length and width, and palm circumference are correct.
• Ensure that the glove offers a safe grip, to prevent tools or materials from sliding from your hands.
• Gauntlets or wristlets should fit over the clothing and be stream-lined to the arms to prevent gloves from catching on machinery or debris from falling inside.
• Be sure that the gloves allow skilled and easy use of the hands.
• Gloves should not be clumsy or awkward to wear. 

Ill-fitting equipment can detract from a worker’s ability to do his/her job.  It could lead to:

• Less efficient work;
• Slower work;
• Greater number of errors;
• Difficulty in doing certain tasks – jobs that require detailed movements. 

There’s no reason to purchase gloves that are not going to fit your employees, because now you have choices for every size and need.  Take the time to inventory all your employees’ hand sizes and order enough to cover those “ten friends” the best way to ensure safety, and a good job performance.