Hand and wrist injuries account for a significant percentage of preventable workplace incidents, and many of the workers who suffer such injuries are not wearing gloves at the time of the event. Even workers wearing protective gloves may not be fully protected if those gloves aren’t designed for the specific risks of their jobs.
The problem is that “industrial work” isn’t a single job. Gloves built for a welder will fail catastrophically in a chemical lab, and gloves built for fine assembly won’t protect a rigger handling heavy steel beams.
Finding the “best” gloves for industrial workers means matching the hazards of the job to the glove materials and rating. This guide breaks down the top categories of industrial safety gloves available at RX-Safety to help you keep your crew safe and compliant.
Consider what hazards workers are most likely to face in their roles and on specific job sites, then choose industrial gloves designed to protect against them. Weigh options across these top safety glove categories.
When workers face a high risk of cuts from sharp edges, sheet metal, glass, or blades, cut-resistant gloves can help protect their hands. These ANSI cut-resistant gloves are made with engineered yarns, such as Kevlar®, HPPE, and stainless steel-core yarns, designed to provide high dexterity without sacrificing cut protection. Workers can easily move their hands in these lightweight, comfortable gloves while staying protected from cuts on the job.
Compare gloves based on the ANSI/ISEA 105 cut scale, which ranges from A1 to A9. This scale measures how many grams of weight a straight blade would need to cut through protective gloves.
If the biggest risk to workers is crushed fingers, pinch points, falling tools, and heavy equipment impacts, impact and TPR gloves are the way to go.
These gloves feature thermoplastic rubber (TPR) armor molded onto the back of the hand and knuckles to absorb and dissipate impact energy. If a crush force hits the hand, the glove helps distribute the force, reducing the risk of bruising or bone fractures.
Compare impact-resistant work-gloves based on their ANSI/ISEA 138 ratings, which grade impact resistance and back-of-hand impact protection from Level 1 (lowest) to Level 3 (highest).
In work environments like laboratories and manufacturing, the biggest risk to workers’ hands is likely chemicals. Corrosive acids, caustic solvents, oils, and biohazards can damage workers’ hands if they touch the skin, so workers need chemical- and liquid-resistant gloves for protection.
Chemical-resistant gloves feature heavy-duty Nitrile, Neoprene, PVC, or Butyl rubber coatings that create an impermeable barrier between the chemicals and the workers’ skin. The protective glove material should match the chemicals workers will be exposed to. Check the chemicals’ Safety Data Sheet (SDS) to find the right glove polymer.
In welding, electrical work, or foundries, workers need protection from extreme temperatures. The high heat, open flames, hot slag, and extreme cold/freezing storage environments can all cause severe injuries to workers’ hands without proper workplace hand protection.
Look for industrial heat-resistant gloves made of heavy split-grain leather, aluminized backings, insulated thermal linings, and flame-retardant aramid stitching.
Before buying any protective industrial gloves, consider these key factors:
Smooth nitrile coatings work well for dry oil, while foam nitrile acts like a sponge to provide better grip when gloves are wet or oily. Polyurethane (PU) coatings offer maximum tactile sensitivity in clean rooms.
Poorly fitted gloves cause hand fatigue, causing workers to remove their PPE mid-shift. Stock a full range of glove sizes (S through 2XL) to improve PPE compliance.
Find the balance between high-level hand protection and maintaining the tactile freedom workers need to be able to pick up small hardware or operate controls.
While RX-Safety is a recognized e-commerce leader in prescription safety eyewear, outfitting a workforce requires full-body protection. You can turn to us for RX-Safety gloves, too. RX-Safety is a complete one-stop shop for PPE. Sourcing certified safety glasses and compliant hand protection from one trusted manufacturer makes procurement easier.
RX-Safety carries an extensive catalog of rigorous, industrial-grade gloves from trusted brands built to meet strict ANSI/ISEA specifications. It’s easy to find the right protective gear for the job, from chemical-resistant gloves to general handling gloves.
Protective gloves from trusted brands designed to meet demanding workplace safety requirements.
Source industrial safety gloves and protective eyewear from one convenient supplier.
Protecting your workforce’s most valuable tools—their hands—means moving past generic leather work gloves. Instead, assess the specific job-site hazards your workers face and choose gloves designed to protect them from those hazards. Your workers will be safer, and you’ll reduce costly downtime and OSHA violations.
Gear up your team with industry-leading hand protection. Explore Rx Safety’s complete collection of industrial safety gloves today, and pair them with our premium safety eyewear for complete workplace compliance.
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