Cutting the cost of injuries
January 1st 2004 Needless hand and wrist injuries are still occurring in the workplace, costing industry millions of pounds. However, here IP&E reports on how by using gloves with DuPont KEVLAR technology users can successfully address these dangers
Competitive companies like to keep operational costs under control. Some costs are more visible than others. Many companies, for example, find it difficult to assess the ongoing cost of accidents and injuries as well as the longer term benefit of investing in improved safety systems, including high quality, high performance PPE. Throughout the EU, statutory company insurance generally covers the basic costs of medical treatment and compensation. However, insured costs generally represent only 25% of the final bottom line total. The majority of costs that companies need to take into consideration remain hidden.
According to statistics, hand and wrist injuries are among Europes biggest safety issues. The annual cost of these hand and wrist injuries runs into millions of pounds. It is believed that injury rates and costs could be reduced if companies were able to identify and issue the correct type of hand protection. In 1989, the Council of the European Communities issued two Directives, 89/656 EEC and 89/686 EEC, covering health and safety at work and the provision of PPE. To comply with the Directives, companies must complete a fully documented risk assessment and introduce appropriate controls that will either eliminate or limit potential injuries. Where hazards cannot be eliminated via process or equipment modifications, employers are required to provide PPE bearing the relevant CE Mark of Conformity.
Directive 89/686 EEC specifies how the three basic Categories of PPE must be identified, tested and certified. The list of Category I items described in the Directives as Models of Simple Design covers equipment that will offer protection against minor hazards or exposure risks, that can be safely identified in good time. Category III items or Models of Complex Design, are intended to protect against risks that could either prove fatal or alternatively, seriously and irreversibly harm the health of the employee. Bridging the gap between Categories I and III, Category II covers an unspecified list of equipment that offers an intermediate level of protection. Industrial cut-resistant gloves and sleeves are considered to be a Category II item. While Category I items require no independent certification, both Category II and Category III items must be assessed by an accredited test house (the Notified Body) to the relevant EN Standard. The manufacturer is responsible for completing the compliance testing and either directly or through a distributor, must be able to provide the user with the relevant information and certificates. If the items have not been manufactured in an EU or EFTA country, the vendor becomes responsible for the compliance testing. Cut-resistant gloves and sleeves CE Marked as a Category II item will have been tested to EN Standard 388. To help users differentiate between the protection offered by different models, EN 388 ranks cut resistance according to five different grades or levels (level 5 being the highest level of performance)
KEVLAR Comfort Technology and KEVLAR Clean Technology gloves made with the DuPont KEVLAR brand fibre offer cut-resistance levels 3 and 4, while KEVLAR Armor Technology offers at least 5 protection. EN388 also specifies tests for abrasion, tear and puncture resistance. Most KEVLAR solutions offer an abrasion resistance of 1 to 2, a tear resistance always at a maximum level 4 and a puncture resistance of 1 to 4 depending on the designs selected. Levels of protection offered against heat are specified in EN 407. When it comes to mechanical and thermal resistance KEVLAR solutions offer enhanced protection. Depending on the design, KEVLAR gloves can take operating temperatures up to 250C over an extended period and a short term exposure of up to 700C.
KEVLAR Comfort Technology: is for workers who routinely handle small parts and require a high degree of manual dexterity and flexibility, together with protection against cuts and scratches. The highly resistant yet lightweight and form fitting gloves enable the wearer to retain the acute sensitivity of touch and ease of movement that the job requires without the risk of injury from sharp glass, plastic and metal edges. They also improve the workers grip when working with oily, greasy wet objects and produce a minimum of lint.
KEVLAR Clean Technology: is specific to the electronics, painting, plastics and certain food-handling sectors, where a clean, lint free workplace is critical to product quality. The seamless, filament-knit construction of gloves and other garments made with KEVLAR Clean Technology meets the highest standards for freedom from lint and dust. The technology also protects against cuts, gashes and high temperatures.
KEVLAR Armor Technology is for those who work around machinery with stationary or rotating blades or who handle glass, sharp and jagged metal objects or dangerous abrasives, yet must have the manual dexterity to handle knives and small electronic parts.
Importantly all protective garments made with these technologies conform to strict quality, performance and compatability standards. They carry the DuPont KEVLAR Power of Performance label with a clear reference to the technology used (ie Clean Technology), which assures both wearers and specifiers that they have the level of protection they require. More articles from DuPont UK Ltd: | 
