As the summer ends, organisations across the UK are beginning to think about personal protective equipment to keep employees safe and warm throughout the impending colder months.
Fingers are particularly prone to the effects of cold environments as the body reduces blood flow to the extremities in cold conditions. Prolonged and repeated exposure to air temperatures from 0°C to as high as 16°C can develop injuries such as chilblains, with below freezing air temperatures causing frostnip and more seriously, frostbite—a common condition that can lead to gangrene and possible amputation.
Although in the UK minimum working temperatures are not set in stone, employers are legally required to take action when a risk to the health and safety of their employees has been identified. By providing staff with suitable thermal work gloves for use in colder environments, and by communicating the potential hazards of cold exposure, organisations can significantly reduce the risks of cold related injury.
When searching for gloves, it is important to remember that one glove type is probably not going to suit all employees. Workers in higher risk areas may require high visibility thermal gloves, whilst those in lower risk areas may prefer gripper gloves with thermal lining. To meet the diverse needs of employers across all industries, JustGloves.co.uk offers an extensive range of thermal gloves making it easy to find the glove most suited to the employee, as well as the task in hand.
All cold work gloves available from JustGloves.co.uk have been rigorously tested and are compliant to the relevant EN standards. Mechanical data is available to view on each glove type that clearly shows the level of resistance to abrasions, cuts, tears and punctures.
