Using the right gloves protects your hands

By Lance Pilgrim, ANAD Safety OfficeOctober 18, 2018

ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- One of the most important things you can do to contribute to your overall safety at work is wear proper hand protection.

This takes discipline because it is easier not to wear gloves, especially for small, routine tasks.

The truth is, accidents, including cuts and puncture injuries to the hand, happen most often while performing these routine tasks.

Without the use of your hands, your job becomes more difficult. Whether you work in an office, warehouse, shop, drive a vehicle or perform any other support function, your hands are important in performing the work.

Every year across America, hundreds of thousands of workers receive hand injuries while on the job. Many, unfortunately, result in amputation of one or more digits.

Just as it is at Anniston Army Depot, most of these accidents are preventable.

With a little foresight and analysis of the task at hand, you will realize the potential hazards and the best way to protect yourself from those hazards.

As you go about these daily tasks, remember to never perform work where hazards are present without the proper gloves.

Proper is the key word here; you must be sure you have the right gloves for the task.

You would not wear rubber gloves to weld with, just as you would not wear leather gloves when handling chemicals.

Each type of glove is designed for a certain application.

How do you know what type of gloves to use?

Supervisors, with advice and analysis from the Safety and Industrial Hygiene offices, are responsible for directing employees to wear the correct personal protective equipment.

This information is typically found on the Job Hazard Analysis, or JHA, for each task.

The JHA should instruct you not only if you need to wear gloves, but what type of gloves you should be wearing.

Another important factor when considering hand safety is the use of tools.

Many hand-related injuries result from the use of the wrong tool for the job.

The depot has a wide variety of specialized cutting tools available. A pocket knife should never be used to accomplish any cutting task at ANAD.

Just as you would not bring your own wrenches from home, do not work with your own pocket knife.

Safety, or spring-loaded, knives and box cutters are much preferred to a cutting device with an open blade. The blade should be retracted or in a closed position when not in use.

As with the type of gloves, required tools for the task at hand can be found on the JHA.

Wearing gloves on the job is like putting on the seat belt in your automobile. You may not always need that level of protection, but, if you get in the habit of wearing them, when something does happen, your chances of injury are greatly reduced.

Take a moment before beginning work to ensure your hands are protected with the correct gloves.