Gloves and Hand Protection

Work gloves serve to protect hands from heavy machinery, hazardous chemicals, and injuries like burns and blisters. They serve wearers well for various activities like gardening, welding, and construction and those in the medical field to prevent cross-contamination. They come in different materials, sizes, and colors to keep fingers and palms protected. Staples carries a wide selection of work gloves to suit various jobs and uses, such as cut resistant gloves and heavy-duty gloves.

Different materials and workload
Work gloves come in a variety of materials like latex, cotton, leather, Kevlar, aluminized, and coated fabric gloves. They each serve different work conditions, from light work to work requiring heavy-duty gloves. Cotton is a thin, soft, and light material, and due to its breathable nature, cotton work gloves often serve as liners. They're best for light workloads that do not involve open flames, jagged edges, or chemicals. Leather gloves for work offer durability, good grip, and protection from dangers like abrasive surfaces, sparks, and jagged edges. Jobs that require wearers to perform activities that include holding onto ropes and chains while lowering and lifting loads or welding under high temperatures benefit greatly from thick leather gloves.

Consider various coatings
Consider the coating on the glove through a risk assessment of the work conditions. Specific coatings offer a variety of advantages, such as increased cut, puncture resistance required for cut resistant gloves, and chemical resistance. Some of these coatings include nitrile, latex, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), butyl rubber, and polyurethane. These coatings respond differently to working conditions related to hazardous chemicals and a range of working temperatures. Nitrile gloves offer protection from materials like solvents, greases, fuels, and acids.

Different glove patterns
Gloves for work come in a variety of patterns related to seams and stitching. Most work gloves come in a seam-free, one-piece construction, referred to as a Clute seam, which offers increased protection, comfort, and flexibility. Other designs available include reversible or ambidextrous patterns that allow the user to wear the gloves on either hand, offering a degree of flexibility. Other patterns include the Gunn cut, which is common on leather work gloves. This design has an extra patch of leather to wrap around each finger, which eliminates any exposed seams on the palm area and offers additional protection.

How heavy are work gloves?
Work gloves come in a variety of materials of different weights. However, the designs ensure that the user can hold and manipulate objects without the gloves getting in the way. Gloves that you can use for work, such as latex or nitrile, give the most flexibility and are most suitable for meticulous activities like the ones performed by those in medical-related professions.

Do they come in packs or singular?
Work gloves are available both individually and in pairs. Heavy-duty gloves, such as leather welding gloves, come are available mostly in pairs. Disposable gloves, such as latex gloves used in restaurants or hospitals, come in large packs.

Are they easy to wash?
Work gloves come into contact with sweat, dirt, and chemicals constantly. Different designs allow for regular cleaning without affecting the quality or durability of the gloves. For example, Kevlar gloves can undergo washing regularly without changes in strength, shrinkage, or weight loss.