Injuries from cuts are common in trades and industries that involve contact with sharp objects, materials, or tools, which can result in injuries that require medical attention, such as scrapes, cuts, and lacerations.
Hand protection classification is divided into three main categories:
1. Mechanical protection (cutting, puncture, abrasion)
2. Chemical protection
3. Others (heat, flame, vibration protection, dexterity, impact protection – under development)
These classifications include hand protection gloves for use in industrial and chemical applications.
Cut-resistant gloves standards:
Two testing and classification standards are primarily used to measure cut resistance: the American ANSI/ISEA 105 standard and the European EN388 or CE standard. The EN388 standard has slightly different performance tests for cut, abrasion, tear, puncture and impact use.
American National Standards Institute/International Standards Institute:
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) provide the ANSI/ISEA 105 standard. The standard provides manufacturers with a ranking system to classify their products based on performance for specific types of gloves.
ANSI/ISEA 105 ranks glove performance based on specific resistance tests to abrasion, punctures, and cuts. Cut resistance testing is performed using ASTM F2992-15 test method and determines a Grade 9 rating. In 2016, the scale range was expanded from the previous level 1-5 to allow for a more accurate ranking of PPE protection.
Types of gloves covered by the ANSI/ISEA 105 standard:
1. Gloves
2. Mittens
3. Some gloves
4. Other clothing or items that cover the hands or part of the hands
Any hand protection can be classified using this standard designed to meet the specific hazard relevant to the included tests.
Updated ANSI standards:
The ANSI scope has been expanded from A1-A5 in the ISEA 2011 standard to the new A1-A9 ANSI/ISEA 2016 standard. This new rating standard makes it easier to measure higher levels of cutting forces.
The standard provides performance ranges related to mechanical protection, chemical protection and other performance characteristics, such as thermal, flame and vibration protection.
ANSI Cut Resistant Gloves Label:
Manufacturers are not required to label their cut-resistant gloves with cut scores. However, ANSI/ISEA 105 cut-resistant gloves will indicate the ANSI/ISEA 105 standard and TDM-100 score along with the A1-A9 levels they comply with on the label or on the glove. If it has a protection level of zero, it provides little to no protection.
ANSI cutting test method:
ANSI/ISEA 105 is based on specific cutting tests using ASTM F2992-15 test method using a TDM (Tomodynamometer) cutting test machine.
The resistance of protective clothing materials, including gloves, to cutting by sharp edges such as knives, glass, sheet metal and bladed tools can be determined. This moves the straight-edged blade a distance of 20mm across the material in a one-way path until it cuts through.
It cuts the material 5 times at 3 different loads (using a new blade each time) and is then used to determine the cutting level of the material. This cutting force is recorded in grams (200g – 6000g) and is used to complete the A1-A9 rating.
ANSI/ISEA 105-2016 is the preferred test method:
The ANSI/ISEA rating of cut-resistant gloves is the preferred method of ranking them because EN388 does not distinguish upper limits for cut-resistant materials. These fall into the A7-A9 range of ANSI ratings. Therefore, users of cut-resistant gloves are advised to check for ANSI/ISEA standard markings before wearing gloves or any other type of PPE.
The EU market requires personal protective equipment to have CE certification marks, such as cold-proof clothing, anti-arc clothing, high-temperature clothing, anti-freeze clothing, chemical-resistant clothing, anti-ionization clothing, full isolation clothing, etc.
