Working without impact gloves is like playing soccer without shin guards or riding a bike without a helmet. It’s not about protecting the obvious, but rather safeguarding the parts you might not think about… until it’s too late.

 

In the most rugged environments, it’s not just your palms but the BACKS of your hands that are vulnerable to serious injuries. Tasks like handling heavy tools, using rotary jackhammers, or even performing routine installations expose your hands to injuries that could potentially end your chosen career. Impact gloves provide essential protection to keep your most valuable tools—your hands—safe when the work gets tough.

 

So, if you spend a lot of time working with your hands, your life would benefit from the help of impact gloves that protect your most useful tools of all – your hands.

 

According to a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in 2021, there were 123,990 cases of hand injuries in the workplace in the United States. Over 40% of them had to do with carrying or using heavy objects or machinery, which better highlights the need for wearing impact resistant gloves. Unprotected hands will always be exposed to high-risk situations and hazardous accidents, which will lead to severe injuries. 

 

Industries That Can Benefit Most from Impact Glove Protection.

 

 

Some jobs are more likely to result in hand injury than others. If you are in any of the following professions, high-quality gloves protect your hands and are essential:
 

• Manufacturing: Workers handle heavy machinery, materials, and equipment that pose a risk of impact-related injuries.
• Machinists: Operating lathes, milling machines, and grinders often put hands at risk of being struck by metal shards or tools.
• Flooring and Construction: Handling tools, tiles, and large materials requires protection from impact and cuts.
• Hand & Power Tool Use: Power tools can easily slip or malfunction, posing a risk of severe hand injuries.
• Oil & Gas Industries: Workers deal with high-pressure environments and heavy equipment where impact protection is critical.
• Mining: A hazardous industry where falling debris and equipment can cause severe hand injuries.
• Special Education (Assistive Tasks): In special education, hands-on work with equipment can result in accidental impacts.

 

This is obviously not a complete list, but all of these industries require a high degree of hand protection, and impact gloves provide the necessary padding and protective barrier to minimize injuries.

 

So, Just How Are Impact Gloves Different?

 

What separates an impact glove from a basic work glove is the robust design and materials. Impact hand protection gloves have been made to protect the dorsal (back) side of your hands. Whereas your knuckles, fingers, and thumb are all particularly vulnerable to an impact injury, these areas are often reinforced with ThermoPlastic Rubber (TPR) or a similar substance that will disperse impact forces. The palm of the glove is generally covered in the same way as a basic glove, and while this surface may possess some limited protection, it is generally not designed with impacts in mind.

 

However, the real strength of the impact glove is the level of protection it provides against sudden, often violent impacts that can cause fractures of the bones, bruising, or soft tissue injuries, by distributing the energy of the impact across the whole surface of the glove.

 

But many impact gloves have another function: they safeguard workers against blunt force trauma in the event of a fall. Such gloves can serve as PPE against a variety of hazards in high-risk environments, and common protective features include:

 

• Cut Resistance: Materials can be added to the gloves made of Kevlar or high-performance polyethylene (HPPE) to resist punctures by sharp objects; if the gloves become penetrated with no resistance, they can slice a worker’s fingers; any kind of laceration is a serious risk and most can be avoided.
• Vibration dampening: Gloves that dampen vibration minimize the risk of hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), an occupational disease caused by prolonged use of power hand-held tools.
• Heat and Cold Resistance: Special insulation can provide warmth in bitter cold, and shield against the searing heat of fires and furnaces.
• Chemical Resistance: Some gloves are treated to resist oils, solvents, and other chemicals, for added protection from any hazardous materials being handled.

 

Selecting the Correct Level of Protection.

 

If you’re considering the purchase of any pair of impact gloves, familiarity with the various protection levels will assist you in your selection, particularly the ANSI/ISEA 138 standard, which is the most well-recognized performance standard that evaluates impact gloves for their protective level by rating the amount of transmitted energy when struck by an impact.

 

 

The ANSI/ISEA 138 standards state that protection should be employed at impact velocities greater than 5 fps (feet per second, consider them like MPH [miles per hour]) for frozen meats; 5-7.9 fps for transport of eggs; 8-10 fps when transporting or tossing raw beef cuts; and that gloves should conform to one of the existing impact attenuation levels (4.4J, 9.8J, or 19.6J) in these situations.

 

Why the Right Fit Matters.

 

When choosing the right size for impact work gloves, getting an accurate fit is crucial for both comfort and protection. Ill-fitting gloves can compromise dexterity, reduce safety, and lead to discomfort over long periods of use. Here's a brief guide to selecting the correct size, and how to measure your hands properly. Let’s start with the three key attributes to consider when choosing a pair of impact gloves:

 

Comfort: PPE gloves that are too tight can restrict blood flow and cause fatigue, while loose gloves may bunch up, making it harder to grip tools or materials effectively.

 

Dexterity: A good fit ensures you can handle equipment, tools, and materials precisely, reducing the risk of accidents.

 

Protection: Impact gloves are designed to absorb and redistribute energy from impacts. Gloves that don’t fit properly won’t distribute this force evenly, potentially exposing your hands to injury.

 

Measuring Your Hand for the Perfect Fit

 

The key to finding the right size is measuring your hand accurately; you’ll need a tape measure or a ruler for this.

 

 

A Look At Some of The Best Impact Gloves on the Market.

 

 

Global Industrial offers these and several other brands of impact gloves, and our versatile range ensures you’ll have the best selection for any project and any size of team.

 

To Sum Up, Invest in the Right Gloves for The Job.

 

Your hands are irreplaceable, so investing a few extra bucks in the best level of protection is never going to be a waste of money.

 

Always take into account the level of protection you need, and err on the side of “too much” protection over not enough. Of course, you also need to take into account dexterity, and daily use. And above all, get the size right; especially if your buying hundreds of pairs for a crew.

 

To ensure a good fit for all workers, include both an XS, which is truly extra small, and an XXL option to choose from. Some retailers (like Walmart, who have a strong association with gloves) have opted to mark many as ‘One Size Fits All’. However, this is not advisable for professionals and is more for the home DIY enthusiast.

 

Remember also to take into account the level of cut and vibration protection, and the fit, to find the best-fitting glove to protect your hands. Once you have the right gloves, you too can carry out your tasks with your hands protected. And should you need any help selecting impact gloves for yourself, or your team, please contact our experts here at Global Industrial.

 

The information contained in this article is for informational, educational, and promotional purposes only and is based on information available as of the initial date of publication. It is the reader’s responsibility to ensure compliance with all applicable laws, rules, codes and regulations. If there is any question or doubt in regard to any element contained in this article, please consult a licensed professional. Under no circumstances will Global Industrial® be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on this article.