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Useful guides

European Standards for protective gloves

European Directive on Personal Protective Equipment

Not all protective gloves are suitable for all tasks. There are standards for protective gloves based on three categories according to risk levels (according to the European Community Directive 89/656/EEC and its subsequent additions):

  1. Category Ι: gloves of simple design - for minimum risk (e.g. household cleaning gloves). They are marked by the manufacturer.
  2. Category ΙΙ: gloves not belonging to classes I and III - for intermediate risk (e.g. general purpose gloves according to EN 388). They are certified by a body independent of the manufacturer.
  3. Category ΙΙΙ: gloves of complex design - for irreversible or lethal hazards (e.g. gloves for protection against biochemical hazards). They are certified by an organisation independent of the manufacturer.

Two articles included in the Community Directive on Personal Protective Equipment 89/656/EEC, which is also applicable in Greece, require special attention with regard to protective gloves:

Article 4: According to Article 4, the employer should inform his staff of the risks in the working environment, provide them with appropriate and correctly sized PPE that complies with European Standards and adequate instructions for their use. In addition, he should ensure that the PPE is used for the purpose stated by the manufacturer and in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions for use.

Article 5: Article 5 obliges the employer:

  1. Consider the risks in the workplace and assess the level of risk to workers.
  2. Determine the characteristics that gloves must have in order to protect workers.
  3. Ensure that all gloves used in the workplace comply with the PPE Directive.
  4. Compare the advantages of the different types of protection available.
  5. To keep full records of the assessments and reasons for selecting each type of glove.
If the hazard changes in any way, for example with the introduction of a new chemical or industrial process, the assessment should be repeated.

To ensure that your business complies with the necessary Community Directives and that you are practically providing the best possible protection for your workers, you should choose protective gloves that are not only manufactured in accordance with European Standards, but that are of exceptionally good quality.

The protective gloves available from Axion Cotton meet these requirements and our consultants are always ready to assist you in making the right choice.

Standard EN 420:2003 + A1:2009

Specifies the general requirements for protective gloves:

  • Neutral pH (3.5 to 9)
  • Harmlessness (neither the construction of the glove, nor the materials used, nor any wear from normal use of the glove should be in any way harmful to the health or hygiene of the user)
  • Sizing
  • Dexterity (levels 1 to 5)
  • Specifically for leather gloves: Chromium VI content
  • Specifically for natural rubber gloves: Extractable protein content

Compliant with the European standard EN 420:2003 + performance level indicating how a glove performs in a specific test for mechanical hazards according to EN 388:2003 by which test results can be graded. Some gloves may also meet specific applications such as cold protection (EN 511:2006), contact heat below 100°C (EN 407:2004) and water resistance (EN 374-2:2003).

Standard EN 12477:2001 + A1:2005 – Minimum certification requirements for adequate protection (palms and wrists) during welding and cutting; short-term exposure to limited flame, contact or convective heat, UV radiation (exposure from molten metal); protection against mechanical hazards.

The optional standard ΕΝ 1149-2 determines whether the glove provides minimum resistance at 100V. Two main types:

  • Type Α: glove with lower dexterity but higher performance in other areas
  • Type Β: glove with higher dexterity but lower performance in other areas

Performance levels are ranked in ascending order, with level 0 being the least effective. These levels are always presented in the same order next to the pictogram corresponding to the standard.

Standard EN 388:2003

Protective gloves against mechanical risks

  1. Abrasion resistance (0–4)
  2. Blade cut resistance (0–5)
  3. Tear resistance (0–4)
  4. Puncture resistance (0–4)

Standard EN 511:2006

Protective gloves against cold

  1. Convective cold resistance (0–4)
  2. Contact cold resistance (0–4)
  3. Water penetration resistance (0 or 1)

Standard EN 1149-2

Protective gloves against thermal risks

  1. Resistance to flammability (0–4)
  2. Contact heat resistance (0–4)
  3. Convective heat resistance (0–4)
  4. Radiant heat resistance (0–4)
  5. Resistance to small splashes of molten metal (0–4)
  6. Resistance to large splashes of molten metal (0–4)

Standard EN 407:2004

Standard EN 12477 Type A

The gloves comply with the European standard EN 420:2003 and have achieved a performance level indicating that the glove has performed in specific tests for applications such as contact heat above 100°C (ΕΝ 407:2004) and chemical hazards (ΕΝ 374-3:2003).

Standard EN 374:2003

Protective gloves against chemical hazards – the pictogram “Chemical Hazards” is used when the glove shows no leakage of air or water in the penetration test (ΕΝ 374-2) and complies with at least performance level 2 in the permeation test (EN 374-3) for at least three chemicals from the following list:

EN 374:2003
  1. Methanol
  2. Acetone
  3. Acetonitrile
  4. Dichloromethane
  5. Carbon disulfide
  6. Toluene
  7. Diethylamine
  8. Tetrahydrofurane
  9. Ethyl acetate
  10. N-heptane
  11. Sodium hydroxide 40%
  12. Sulphuric acid 96%

Permeation

Permeation performance levels indicate the time it takes for a hazardous chemical to completely pass through the glove, as follows:

Measured Time Protection Index Measured Time Protection Index
> 10 minutes Level 1 > 120 minutes Level 4
> 30 minutes Level 2 > 240 minutes Level 5
> 60 minutes Level 3 > 480 minutes Level 6

Standard ΕΝ374-1

The pictogram “low chemical resistance” or “waterproof” is used for gloves that do not achieve at least 30 minutes permeation time for at least three chemicals from the list above but comply with the penetration test requirements (for air and liquid leakage).

Standard ΕΝ374-2

The pictogram “microorganisms” is used for gloves that comply with at least level 2 of the penetration test.

Standard EN 60903:2003

Insulating gloves for electrical work. To select the appropriate class, the user must know the voltage levels they may be exposed to. The table below shows the voltage levels per glove class.

Class Test Voltage Maximum Working Voltage Class Test Voltage Maximum Working Voltage
00 2500V 500v 2 20000V 17000V
0 5000V 1000V 3 30000V 26500V
1 10000V 7000V 4 40000V 36000V

Standard EN 455

This standard specifies requirements and testing for single-use medical gloves (for surgical or examination use) concerning factors such as:

  • Watertightness
  • Sizes
  • Resistance and thickness
  • Maximum elasticity before and after accelerated aging
  • Biological safety quality characteristics

Whatever your protection glove needs, Axion Cotton's expert consultants will help you make the right choice. For more information please contact us.

Resources

General information on protective gloves:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cut-resistant_gloves

Legislation and information on standards for protective gloves (in English):
- http://www.elinyae.gr/el/lib_file_upload/220A-94.pdf
- http://www.elinyae.gr/el/lib_file_upload/TYPOP.1103193105796.pdf

More resources on Personal Protective Equipment and in particular gloves (in English):
- Directive 89/656/EEC – use of personal protective equipment of 30 November 1989 on the minimum health and safety requirements for the use by workers of personal protective equipment at the workplace, OJ L 393 , 30/12/1989 P. 0018 – 0028.
- Protective gloves.

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