What are the categories of protection for Safety Gloves?
Protective gloves are one of the most popular personal protection products that protect workers’ hands – body parts which are at particular risk of damage and injuries in many professions.
According to 89/686/EEC directive on safety requirements and protection of workers’ health by using personal protective equipment at the workplace, products are divided into three safety categories depending on the risk level to which a worker is exposed while performing a given type of work.
Categories of protection
When it comes to hand protection, there is a division as follows:
Category I
Gloves which provide basic protection. To be applied when there is low risk.Â
This type of glove protects against damage to the surface of the skin, temperatures up to 50°C and mild chemical substances (e.g. cleaning agents). Most protective gloves and household gloves belong to this group.Â
The gloves improve work comfort and their use is not conditioned by the results of tests conducted by research bodies (certification bodies).Â
The gloves of category 1 have to meet the requirements of EN420 standard “Protective gloves – General requirements and testing methods”.
Category II
Gloves provide protection during work which entails a medium risk of damage.
These gloves are used when the risk is classified as neither low nor very high. Products of this category usually protect against mechanical injuries – the type of risk which is very common in most industrial activities. This group also contains gloves which protect against cold and heat.
The standard which usually guides the assignment of gloves to this category is the EN388 standard.
Category III
This category includes gloves which are used when there is a risk of a decline in health or life.
The gloves which are assigned to this category of personal protection equipment are used when there is a risk of serious and/or permanent damage to palms and hands, e.g. when working with high voltage, highly dangerous chemicals etc.