How long did you wear your last pair of safety gloves before changing to a new pair? Now ask a coworker this same question. Chances are you may each have different answers. The reason: glove durability.
In a recent study, respondents ranked durability as the third most important factor influencing glove choice while quality was rated the highest. Respondents were then asked, “What do you mean by quality?” Durability was the number one answer.
Glove durability generally relates to a glove’s longevity - its wear life up to the point at which the worker considers the product no longer suitable for the tasks at hand or “worn out.” Glove durability is difficult to measure since there are no objective tests or standards. Instead, a product’s wear life is often determined by the specific applications in which it is used. Safety directors and others who select gloves typically look at measurable performance characteristics such as cut protection, abrasion or chemical resistance and seldom consider durability and how it relates to injury prevention, overall productivity and costs.