In the industrial sector, the worker’s hands are often the part of the body that is most exposed to the risk of cuts or abrasions. To ensure that the operator can work safely, he or she should be equipped with suitable gloves that meet specific European standards. One of the most effective protective equipment against cuts and abrasion is a pair of cut-resistant textile work gloves with a polyurethane coating, also known as PU gloves. These are the ultimate cut-resistant gloves, providing a good level of protection while offering great dexterity to the wearer. A good compromise between safety at work and handling comfort.
What is polyurethane?
This material with the rather complex name can be found in many areas of everyday life for example: house insulation, medical sector, furniture and even textiles. Polyurethane is in fact a plastic derivative, made from an organic molecule, the urethane polymer.
What are the characteristics of PU gloves?
PU gloves have many advantages. Indeed, their composition in urethane polymer gives them a great flexibility that is particularly appreciated by the wearer; the thinness of this material acts like a second skin and allows excellent dexterity and a good grip, necessary for precision movements and handling. This material is breathable and guarantees perfect comfort over time, without sweating. Finally, PU gloves have very good abrasion resistance properties, effective against low to high risks of cuts . Please note that although PU gloves are perfectly suitable in dry conditions, they are less effective in wet, greasy or oily environments.
When should we use PU gloves?
PU gloves, and particularly PU-coated textile gloves, have very efficient anti-abrasive properties. As the PU material offers great dexterity and an excellent touch, PU work gloves are ideal for fine handling, such as assembling parts, while protecting against mechanical risks thanks to the cut resistance provided by the knitted textile backing. These risks are very numerous, especially in the rubber, glass or metal industries. Protective sleeves covering the operator’s forearms can be combined with PU gloves.
What are the professions concerned by PU gloves?
PU gloves are mainly intended for fine and precision handling such as meticulous assembly work or sorting of sharp small parts. Many professions are therefore concerned, in various sectors: automotive industry, mechanical industry, electronics, goldsmithery and even laboratories.
What are the standards for PU gloves?
PU gloves must meet specific protective glove standards, indicated by clear pictograms on each glove:
- EN 388, represented by a hammer, indicates the level of resistance to mechanical hazards such as abrasion, cuts, punctures, tears and impact. It complements the basic standard EN ISO21420 that defines the general criteria for protective gloves.
- EN16350 is a standard for gloves that are used in an explosive atmosphere (ATEX). If they do not meet this standard, the gloves can become charged with static electricity and cause a deadly spark. When handling electronics, it is also important to avoid electrostatic charges (ESD) to protect the employee. The EN16350 standard therefore guarantees the wearer antistatic protection in both of these particularly dangerous working environments.
Therefore, please pay close attention to the markings on hand protection gloves.
Lebon Protection PU gloves
Focus on low-risk protection:
Lebon Protection is a well-known specialist in personal protective equipment for high-risk professional activities. Lebon Protection offers a wide range of PU gloves, perfect for fine handling:
- The GTNC/PE glove model is coated with polyurethane on the palm and fingertips. What makes it special is that it can be used on digital devices! No need to remove your protective gloves to use the machines’ touch screens.
- BLUESTAR gloves are knitted without seams, with elastane, which gives them a great comfort and a good dexterity.
- The POLYSOFT glove features OEKO-TEX technology, demonstrating the company’s commitment to our customer’s safety and health.
- The 100% synthetic knitted Polywhite protective glove, in white, is suitable for many fields of work.
- POLYPICOT is a textured polyamide glove that has the particularity of covering the fingers and the palm with microdots, which offers an excellent grip.
- The GTNC/DE gloves are equipped with carbon filaments and the ScreenTech technology allows the use of touch screen devices without taking off the safety gloves.
Focus on high risk cut protection:
Among our range of PU equipment, Lebon Protection also offers gloves that provide protection against high risks of cuts. Our level E and F PU glove models protect against blade cuts. In other words, they have a protection index higher than 22 and 30 Newtons respectively in the ISO 13997 test.
Level E and F PU gloves are most commonly used in mechanical, assembly, glass, plastic, rubber handling, automotive and construction industries.
Level E gloves
- IRONFIT and IRONFIT/30 are seamless 10 gauge knitted gloves made of 100% stainless steel filament, 100% high-density polyethylene and 100% para-aramid yarn. Their CLEAN PUⓇ coating meets the highest environmental requirements.
- STEELTECH/30 and STEELGRIP feature a seamless 13-gauge knit of 100% TextraⓇ stainless steel/elastane filament. The Steeltech/30 has an additional natural cow split leather reinforcement on the palm and part of the fingers.
- STEELFIT is a seamless 13 gauge knitted glove with 100% stainless steel filament. What makes it special? Its Active Sense technology that makes it more comfortable and gives the operator a feeling of well-being.
Level F gloves
- Both METALFIT and SHOCKPROTEC/F feature a seamless 10 gauge knit of 100% stainless steel and 100% high density polyethylene filament. The Shockprotec/F glove has Impact absorbent reinforcements on the back of the hand and fingers to protect against impact.
- HYPERFIT is a seamless 18 gauge knitted glove with 100% high-density polyethylene elastane and GUARDTECH high performance filament. This glove provides superior dexterity and precision while being touch screen compatible.
- IRONTECH35/S – seamless knitted glove in 13 gauge 100% para-aramid yarn – stands out with its 15 cm elastic cuffs and cow split leather reinforcement on the palm and part of the fingers.
Everyone can find a “glove that fits them right”.