Gloves Standars

UNE-EN 420:2010

The UNE-EN 420:2010 standard is a reference standard to be used with the specific or applicable standards related to protective gloves. This means that said standard cannot be applied in itself to certify or self-certify protective gloves.

The standard defines the requirements to make and design the gloves, safety, resistance of the materials to water penetration, innocuousness (pH and Chromium VI content), comfort and performance, brand and information supplied by the manufacturer. It is also applicable to gloves and arm protectors permanently joined to hermetic suits..

Each protective glove will be marked with the following information:

• Name, brand or means of manufacturer’s or its authorised representative’s identification
• Glove designation (trade name or code that allows the user to identify the product with the manufacturer’s or its authorised representative’s range.
• Size designation.
• If necessary, marked in relation to expiry date.
• When the glove complies with one or more European standards, it is shown by the standard’s pictogram. Each pictogram must be accompanied by specific applicable standard reference and the performance levels, which must always be in the same set sequence, as defined in the corresponding standard.

UNE-EN 388:2016

The EN 388:2016 standard is applied to all types of protective gloves aimed at protecting against mechanical hazards caused by abrasion, blade cuts, puncture, tear and impact when applicable. They are Category 2 gloves. This standard can also be applied to arm protectors not attached to the glove or the clothing.

UNE-EN 374:2016

The ISO EN 374:2016 standard establishes the requirement for gloves aimed at the protection of users against chemical products and/or micro-organisms. This standard does not establish mechanical protection requirements. All of the gloves are category .

They are divided into the following parts

• ISO EN 374-1:2016: Terminology and requirements for chemical hazards
• EN 374-2:2014: Determination of penetration resistance.
• EN 16523-1:2015: Permeation by liquid chemicals under conditions of continuous contact.
• EN 374-4:2013: Determination of degradation resistance by chemicals.
• ISO EN 374-5:2016: Terminology and requirements demanded for micro-organism hazards.

The gloves are divided into three types:

• Type A: those on which permeation trials have been carried out with 6 chemical products from the table and that have at least level 2.
• Type B: those on which permeation trials have been carried out with 3 chemical products from the table and that have at least level 2.
• Type C: those on which permeation trials have been carried out with 1 chemical product from the table and that have at least level 1.

• Penetration trial 374-2

This is the chemical products passing through the material, glove seams, at a non-molecular level. 
Air leak trial. The glove is inflated and submerged in water. The appearance of air bubbles in a period of 30’ is monitored.
Water leak trial. The glove is filled with water and the appearance of water-drops is monitored. 
If these trials are positive, it will get the pictogram.

• EN 374-4 Degradation trial 

Detrimental to some properties of the glove due to contact with a chemical product. E.g.: discoloration, hardening, softening, etc. •Permeation trial EN 16523-1 
This is the chemical products passing through on a molecular level. The resistance of the material in one glove to permeation by a chemical product is determined by measuring the time it takes to pass through the material.

LEVELS OF PERMEABILITY RESISTANCE*

List of chemical products

• Protective gloves against micro-organisms offer protection against bacteria and fungus when they comply with the EN 374-2 (air leak and water leak.
.
• Gloves that also offer protection against virus must comply with the ISO 16604: protection for penetration by  bacteriophages Phi-X174 carried in blood.
• Pictogram:

UNE-EN 407:2005

The UNE-EN 407 standard specifies the trial methods, general requirements and performance levels for thermal protection and markings for protective gloves against heat and/or fire. It has to be used for all the gloves that protect hands against heat and/or flames in one or more of the following ways: fire, contact heat, convective heat, radiant heat, small spatters or large amounts of molten metal.

It is important to warn that the product trials will only determine the performance levels, not the protection levels. If the gloves are designed to support temperatures below 100 °C, these gloves are Category 2. If they support temperatures over 100 °C, they are therefore category 3

UNE-EN 60903:2005

Gloves and mitts with insulating material are classified by their class and their special properties, as shown in the following table. All the gloves are in Category 3.

UNE-EN 381-7:2000

Gloves designed to protect against hazards that may appear due to the use of hand-operated chainsaws. Currently, all the chainsaws have been designed for right-handed people and therefore, all the protective clothing designs and requirements are designed assuming they will be used with the right hand. The protection may not be suitable for use with the left hand. They are category 2 PPE.

There is no personal protective equipment that can ensure 100% protection against cuts from hand-operated chainsaws. However, it is possible to design personal protective equipment that offers a certain degree of protection, applying different functional principles, among which are included:

• Chain slipping: on contact with the chain, it does not cut the material.
• Entrapment: the chain drags the fibres of the material to the driving pinion and blocks chain movement.
• Chain braking: the fibres of the material have a high cut resistance and absorb the rotational energy, and therefore slowing down the chain’s speed 
  
  Generally, more than one principle may be applied.

The UNE-EN 381-7 standard defines two glove designs, A and B, as per the different protective areas they cover:

UNE-EN 511:2006

The UNE-EN 511 standard defines the requirements and trial methods for gloves that protect against convective or conductive cold to a temperature of -50 °C. This cold may be linked to climatic conditions or an industrial activity. The specific values for the different performance levels are determined in accordance with the demands of each risk or special area of application.

WARNING: The trials that are carried out on the products are to determine performance levels and not to determine protection levels. They are category 2 PPE. There are gloves in Category 3, but they are not covered by this standard.

This type of glove must comply with at least level 1 of the resistance to abrasion and tear resistance as per the UNE-EN 388 standard..

UNE-EN 659:2004

The special gloves for fire-fighters allow them to work for long periods of time under dangerous conditions. However, it is not possible to relate the performance levels reached in the laboratory to the protection levels required under real use conditions.

These gloves are not meant for the deliberate handling of chemical liquids but they do provide some protection against accidental contact with chemical products.

Protective gloves for special operations in fire-fighting are excluded from the applicable scope of the UNE-EN 659 Standard.

Protective gloves for fire-fighters are Category 3 PPE.

* Contact temperature 250 °C. Threshold temperature of at least 10 s

** In accordance with the EN ISO 6942 standard

UNE-EN 16350:2014

Electrostatic garments are designed, on one hand, to protect the user and, on the other, with the function of protecting the products. The human body is a producer of micro-particles that can damage products with a high added value and, at the same time, it is a conductor, which means it has low resistivity, through conduction or induction, if it is earth insulated. This can cause sparks and direct injury to workers.

None of these standards is applicable against electrical voltages. These garments are Category 2.

UNE-EN 1082-1/2:1997

Gloves with metallic meshing and plastic or metallic arm protectors that offer some type of protection against punctures, are used in those types of tasks in which the blade moves towards the hand and arm of the user, especially when working with manual knives in butchers, in the meat, fish or seafood processing industries, in large restaurant establishments and in meat, game or poultry deboning operations.

They can also give suitable protection to those who work with manual knives in the plastic, leather, textile and paper industries when laying floors or similar tasks. They are PPE category 2

UNE-EN 12477:2005

Protective gloves for welders protect the hands and the wrists during the welding process and related tasks.

Protective gloves for welders protect against small drops of molten metal, short-term exposure to a limited flame, convective heat, contact heat and UV radiation emitted by the arc. Moreover, they often protect against mechanical aggressions

• • Protective gloves for welders are classified into two types

• Type A: recommended for MIG welding
• TType B: recommended for TIG welding.

They are category 2 gloves.

UNE-EN 13594:2015

Gloves for motorcyclists are designed to provide protection against environmental conditions, without reducing the user’s ability to manage the motorbike’s controls and switches. Moreover, the gloves are also designed to provide mechanical protection for the hands and wrists in the case of accidents.

The most frequent risks in motorbike accidents are collisions with the motorbike, with other vehicles, with urban furniture and with the road surface.

They are category 2 gloves.

UNE-EN ISO 10819:2014

This European standard has been developed in response to the growing demand to protect people from the risks of injury due to vibrations caused by exposure to hand-arm vibrations.

This European standard specifies a laboratory measuring method, data analysis and a report on the transmissibility of the vibration through the glove in terms of the transmission of the vibration from the handle to the palm of the hand within the frequency range of  31,5 Hz to 1.250 Hz. The measurement does not include the vibration transmitted to the fingers

They are category 2 gloves

UNE-EN ISO 13997:1999

Protective clothing. Mechanical properties. Determination of resistance to cuts by sharp objects.

This international standard specifies a cut trial method and the associated calculations, which are used with the materials that the protective clothing is made of. The trial determines the resistance to cutting by sharp objects like blades, knives, edges of sheet metal, burrs, glass, tools and sharpened smelting. This trial does not provide information about the resistance to penetration by pointed objects like needles or pointed ends. This trial is not considered to be suitable for materials manufactured with meshing or metal plates. The text of this international standard makes no reference to user safety.

Although the textiles, compound materials, leathers, rubbers and reinforced materials can withstand cuts by sharp objects of varying types, it is necessary to have an evaluation method of cut resistances for the materials that protective clothing is made of that is applicable to all materials. The trial described in this standard establishes a method that allows us to calculate the force downwards (perpendicular) required so that a blade that is displaced along the sample at a set distance, cuts the same. The performances of the protective clothing materials can be classified depending on the numeric values obtained in this trial.

REQUIREMENTS

This international standard describes the trial method for materials and products. When stated as a trial method in a standard for products or materials, the latter must contain all the information required to allow the application of the ISO 13997 standard to the product in question. The standard that  the ISO 13997Standard refers to must contain, at least, the following information: 
a) a normative reference to the ISO 13997 Standard 
b) a description of the samples to be tested, the procedure for their preparation and, if necessary, the pre-treatment, as well as the size and orientation of the test pieces obtained from the samples 
c) details about the setting and stretching procedure for the test pieces 
d) number of trials to be carried out 
e) detail about any deviation regarding the method described in the ISO 13997 Standard 
f) details about the model and content of the trial report 
g) the performance requirements for the product and the associated “level”. The required performances must be given as the minimum cut force

TRIAL METHOD

Method principle 
The cut resistance of a material corresponds to its aptitude to withstand the cut produced by a blade. This is measured by an apparatus in which a blade is displaced through the test piece. The cuts made by the displacements, between 3 mm and 50 mm, of a blade to which a determined range of forces is applied, perpendicular to the surface of the test piece. The cut resistance of a sample of the material is expressed as the cut force required so that a standardised blade cuts the material precisely in a 20mm run.  The cut force value can be used to classify the materials. Any type of apparatus can be used as long as it is capable of keeping a steady force between the cutting edge of the blade and the test piece and allows us to exactly measure the distance covered by the blade before it cuts through the test pieces. In annex B (informative) equipment is described that complies with these conditions.

ANNEX A (Informative)

SPECIFICATIONS FOR CUT TRIAL
Introduction 
The method specified in this international standard can be used to test a large number of materials used in the production of personal protective equipment. The trial evaluates the resistance of the test piece to being cut by a blade that displaces over it at a constant force. The results of the trial are expressed as the force required that should be applied to the blade to cut the test piece with a displacement of 20 mm. The greater the force required, the greater the cut resistance.

The following table gives some typical results:

EN 13688

Protective clothing

The EN ISO 13688:2013 standard describes general requirements applicable to protective clothing, such as ergonomics, designation of sizes, markings and information provided by the manufacturers. This standard is used in combination with other standards with specific protection contents. This standard replaces UNE-EN 340.

EN 11611

Protective clothing for welding and similar processes.

The UNE-EN 11611:2015 standard establishes minimum requirements and trial methods for protective clothing, including hoods, aprons, sleeves and gaiters, designed to protect the user during welding and similar processes

UNE-EN 342:2004

Protective clothing. Outfits and protective clothing against the cold.

Protective clothing. Outfits and protective clothing against the cold.

Does not include head coverings, footwear and protective gloves.

Defines the outfits and protective clothing to be used in really cold environments with temperatures below – 5 Cº.

REGULATION 2016/425:2016

Related to Personal Protective Equipment.

Substitutes Directive 89/686/CEE.

The new regulation involves greater specifications about the requirements applicable to PPE, the responsibilities of all the economic operators and progress in the market monitoring conditions.

It will come into force on the 21^st of April 2018.