Combining Work Glove Innovations

By John Heniff, Safety Writer, Magid

Whether your workers need specific kinds of gloves, clothing, sleeves, or maybe even all three to stay safe on the job, comfort plays a huge factor in worker compliance. Traditional fabrics used for hazardous conditions could be uncomfortable, thick, trap moisture and heat against the skin, and offer little movement or dexterity. Together, these disadvantages made worker compliance a constant problem for safety managers. But today, innovations in yarn technology have led to fabrics that are breathable, lighter, and offer extremely high cut-resistance.

Magid was able to develop these innovations by utilizing stronger and lighter materials within yarn strands to create a new cut-resistant fabric — AeroDex®. This amazing material is up to 50% lighter than similar cut-resistant fabrics and it feels like a second layer of skin that is tough and comfortable to wear unlike thick or itchy gear that workers want to take off to provide relief. This comfortable-yet-snug fit also allows workers to assemble and pick up small parts without feeling like they need to take off their gloves for a better tactile grip. Yarns made with the strength-enhancing micro-particles of DX Technology® create coreless fabrics that feel cool to the touch and protect workers with sensitive skin from contact dermatitis, too.

In recent years, different kinds of palm coatings have been developed to provide a strong grip on top of different glove shell materials. But for a long time, safety managers only had six different coatings to choose from that offered each of their own positives and negatives.

MAGID'S TRITEK PALM®

Similar to old cut-resistant gloves, old styles of impact gloves provided reasonable protection, but felt uncomfortable to wear on the job, leading to workers taking them off. Thankfully, these bulky and stiff impact gloves with little finger dexterity began to be used less and less a few short years ago. New impact protection technology, like vented TPR that gives hands more breathability and movement, and integrated flex points, keeps workers comfortable and cool while protecting them in tough jobs such as heavy material handling or pipe fitting. Following these new technologies, low-profile lean impact gloves were developed to shield workers from lighter impact hazards in environments such as maintenance, assembly, light construction, tool work, and I&E (instrumentation and electrical).

These innovations were groundbreaking and exciting in their own right, but manufacturers decided to take it even further and explored how they could combine these innovations to create new PPE items that addressed specific applications and needs.

At their foundation, the best gloves start with a great shell. So we took that cut-resistant, incredibly light materials and enhanced them with impact protection and palm coating innovations. This means we can now provide a highly cut-resistant and featherlight shell that will keep your workers’ hands cool and let them work with small parts with a firm grip—all within one glove! This is an ideal combination for workers who operate in environments with sharp edges such as HVAC, aviation, appliance manufacturing, and any environment that includes oily conditions or handling big or small parts.

At the same time, we combined that cut-resistant, featherlight shell with flexible TPR to create a glove with superior impact protection. Workers who experience contact dermatitis can achieve this by combining their favorite coreless and cool DX Technology shell with TPR to give it top-notch grip, long-lasting abrasion protection, and a fantastic oil barrier, as well. This all-star lineup of innovations is perfect for rough applications such as gas and oil work and pipe fitting that involve oils and liquids.

But the innovations don’t stop there! We’ve taken these innovations to the next level by applying them to high cut-resistant sleeves that feel cool and light and also have impact protection. Add-ons like touchscreen compatibility, heat or flame resistance, winter insulation, and hi-vis materials provide all kinds of PPE combinations for workers! We can create gloves with a unique combination of shell materials, palm coatings, impact protection, or strategic reinforcements such as thumb saddles that will make gloves more durable, as well.

With so many options to choose from, if you feel like your PPE buying process has gotten more complicated recently, it has! If we’ve created it, we’ll combine it to keep your workers safe and comfortable while they work.

Learn more about Magid’s groundbreaking innovations!