Monthly Archives: October 2017

It’s getting cold out there and it’s a good time of year to invest in good quality gloves not just to keep you warm but also to keep your hands protected at work.

You might be surprised to discover just what a huge range of gloves are available, depending on the work you do, and how helpful they can be in preventing sickness and injury.

Here’s a quick guide to help you choose the ones that are best for you and your workers.

THE SAFETY STANDARDS

There are different safety standard codes when it comes to gloves and which ones you choose depends very much on the day to day work you are going to be carrying out.

MECHANICAL WORK

EN 388 is the safety standard for protection for mechanical work.
The EN 388:2003 standard uses index values to indicate the performance levels for safety gloves in protecting the user against numerous mechanical risks such as abrasion, blade cut, tear, puncture and impact.
A new standard, EN ISO 13997 is being brought in specifically to measure cut resistance. This test provides a new category of cut protection in safety gloves and will replace the EN 388 cut resistance test completely from November 2021. The new test is designed to give a more accurate idea of how cut resistant the fabric is during typical working activities, whereas the old test checked for cuts caused by sharp, but fairly lightweight objects. It also give 6 grades of protection, whereas the old EN 388 test only had 5 different grades.
Click here to find out more about the cut protection safety standards on gloves and how they are tested.

Click here to see our range of cut resistant gloves

HEAT PROTECTION
The EN407 safety standard gives an index of how much protection gloves give against thermal hazards.
The higher the number on the index, the better the test result. The following is tested:

Resistance to flammability

Resistance to contact, convective and radiant heat

Resistance to splashes of molten metal

Click here to see our range of heat resistant gloves

COLD PROTECTION
The EN511 safety standard measures protection from cold, and is therefore ideal for those working in the food industry where they are exposed to freezers or refrigerated environments.
In these safety tests, the insulation properties of the glove are tested and also how long it takes for water to permeate the glove. the glove’s material leads cold, and 2. the material’s insulating capacity (with contact).

Click here to see our range of cold resistant gloves

GENERAL PURPOSE

For those who need lightweight gloves for more dexterous tasks, it’s important to choose thinner, more flexible fabrics which still offer good protection. AT CIS Safety we supply gloves from ATG, Polyco, Globus and others. The MaxiFlex Ultimate gloves by ATG are up to 30% thinner than normal and the unique AD-APT has an anti-perspirant effect.

If you are working in a food environment our disposable blue nitrile gloves are perfect for all hygiene tasks. These food safe gloves are easy to don and perform in all situations. They have a high tear and puncture resistance whilst the micro-textured finish improves grip and feel. AQL 1.5, latex-free, non-sterile and ambidextrous.

If you need general purpose gloves rather than any special protection, it helps to have good quality gloves which offer all-round protection and fit well. A bad fit will mean uneven (and quicker) wear, and low quality materials used in the manufacture will not protect sufficiently and again will wear much quicker – so it can be a false economy to buy the cheapest option. Read more on this here

Click here for our range of general purpose gloves.

If you’d like to know more about what suits you or your company, our team would be happy to talk you through the safety guidance and to let you know the latest products which might best suit your needs.

Contact us on 01726 742642 or email sales@cisafety.com

Colder weather combined with spending more time indoors in heated environments can cause sore skin, particularly when you work with your hands.

Dry, cracked skin on your hands is a particularly common complaint in winter, particularly for people who work in environments such as the food industry where hygiene is extremely important and you need to wash your hands frequently. This strips the natural oils of the skin and causes it to dry out.

Focussing on preventing skin conditions like dermatitis and dry or chapped skin is the best option as prevention is better than cure!

Here are a few quick tips to avoid sore hands this winter…

WEAR BARRIER CREAM

The skin’s natural barrier to keep it protected and moist is a mixture of proteins, lipids and oils. If this is going to be weakened by frequent washing, then applying a barrier cream straight after washing hands is a good habit to get into and it’s more effective if you do this before you start to get dry skin.

You’ll need to apply the barrier cream five or six times a day for this to be effective -- once a day just won’t be enough.

When it comes to choosing the cream, seek out creams with emollients and humectants in them, and if in doubt, ask a pharmacist for their recommendation. If your hands are sore or dry, petroleum jelly is a reliable option for many, and you can put it on before bed with cotton gloves overnight to help moisturize the hands. Again, do pop in and ask a pharmacist for advice if you have very sore skin on your hands.

KEEP THEM CLEAN

In winter when there are far more bugs and viruses floating around, it’s important to have habitual handwashing in place before and after work. Surveys reveals that at least 40% of workers do not wash their hands often, or long enough, to protect against the spread of germs and yet research also reveals that simply washing your hands well and often can reduce your risk of sickness by up to 40%.

It’s particularly important of course for those who work in the food industry with the FSA identifying worker failure to wash hands properly as one of the main reasons for the spread of the winter vomiting bug, the novovirus. Read more about the study here.

Frequent use of hand sanitisers can help of course such as our fast drying AHA alcohol hand sanitiser

Knowing how to wash your hands thoroughly and doing this habitually is also a really effective way to keep yourself healthy and to avoid sore hands too.

Here are the basic rules of handwashing

Put the soap on first: Many people wet hands before dispensing a dose of soap into a cupped hand, however for heavily soiled hands  it’s best to apply soap directly to the skin first.

Rub, rub, rub: Then rub your hands as follows: Rub pam to palm; palm over back of hand, fingers interlaced, palm to palm, fingers interlaced,curl fingers together palm to palm, rub your thumb in small circles over each palm; rub four fingers, close together over each palm in small circles.

Rinse and dry: Drying your hands thoroughly will help to avoid chapping, especially when it is cold. Use a clean towel as this cuts risk of bugs spreading.

Click here to find hand hygiene posters for your workplace

Click here for a  range of hand cleansing and skincare products on our website and call us on 01726 742642 or email sales@cisafety.com if you’d like to know more about what we offer and what might best suit your workplace.

There’s no doubt the chilly weather is upon us. But along with ice and floods there are a few other work hazards at this time of year which can be avoided with a little planning.

1)      Being stuck without charge for your phone

Why not carry a small powerbank around with you, keep one at work or in the car? These days so much is done via the phone, if that is flat and you are in an emergency situation such as a power failure or road accident, you could be on the backfoot.

2)      Delayed after dark

As the nights set in earlier, it’s worth carrying a flashlight. Most phones have a small torch, but maybe something bigger or more focussed may be needed. If you are out on the road or work in dark yards, it’s always handy to have a pocket flashlight handy…whether you have lost something important or you need to attract attention, it could save hours or even a life.

3)      Low winter sun

That time of day when the sun sets low in the sky can be the cause of road or industrial accidents especially when it comes during working hours, so be prepared and have some tinted or glare-reducing safety glasses to hand. See our styles here or speak to us for specialist advice.