Cutting the cost of accidents

According to statistics, hand and wrist injuries are among Europe's biggest safety issues. In fact, injuries to hands and wrists are reported to cost businesses millions of pounds every year. The direct cost of an injury is merely the tip of the iceberg. Hidden costs can include replacement labour, overtime, lost production, productivity, management time and damaged goods – not to mention human suffering and staff morale. It is believed that both the injury rate and subsequent costs could be drastically reduced if the correct type of protection was used. A range of gloves and sleeves made of DuPont KEVLAR brand fibre have just become available that provide superior protection against cuts and lacerations, without sacrificing flexibility or comfort. Under the 89/656 EEC and 89/686 EEC directives for health and safety at work, companies are obliged to complete a fully documented risk assessment. Equipment and work procedures must be assessed and modified to the extent possible to eliminate or limit the potential for injury. Where hazards cannot be totally eliminated through process or equipment modifications, workers must be provided with appropriate PPE that bears the relevant CE Mark of Conformity. Industrial cut resistant gloves and sleeves are considered to be a Category II item under Directive 89/686. To bear the CE Mark of Conformity, Category II items must be evaluated by an independent, accredited test house to the relevant EN Standard, which, for cut-resistant gloves and sleeves, is EN 388. To help users differentiate between the protection offered by different models, EN 388 ranks cut resistance according to five different levels, level 5 being the highest. DuPont KEVLAR brand fibre is a lightweight para-aramid fibre and the company claims it has exceptional strength and toughness. KEVLAR Comfort Technology is designed for workers who routinely handle small parts and require a high degree of manual dexterity and flexibility, together with protection against cuts and scratches. They also improve the worker's grip when working with oily, greasy or wet objects and produce a minimum of lint.

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