Millions of manufacturing workers — automotive, farm equipment, aircraft, heavy machinery or other hardware — are exposed to oil-based machining fluids every day. U.S. oil and gas employment is up 40 percent since the recession began in 2007, with continued growth projected to various degrees depending on the rebound of the world oil market. The implications stretch far beyond the traditional oil and gas industry. All that crude oil is being refined for countless purposes — from gasoline to lubricants to coatings and adhesives.
Walk through a manufacturing plant where some type of oil or lubricant is commonly used as a thin film on parts, and you often find workers wearing two pair of gloves — a typical leather work glove or cut-resistant glove over top of a disposable glove you might use to wash dishes. They wear the disposable glove to keep their hands dry when the oil soaks through the outer glove. It’s a crude attempt to solve a serious problem, even if the workers themselves fail to realize just how serious the hazards may be.