ANSI/ISEA 138: A Glove Standard with an Impact on Hand Protection!

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Over the past decade, the market for impact-resistant hand protection has grown tremendously. As such, the materials technology for industrial impact-resistant work safety gloves has grown as well, resulting in a glut of products offering back-of-hand protection and little information on how best to choose between impact gloves.

The American National Standard for Performance and Classification for Impact-Resistant Work Gloves (ANSI/ISEA 138-2019) was designed in 2019 to better classify the impact resistance making it easier than ever to select the right level impact glove for any work application.

ANSI/ISEA 138-2019 BACKGROUND

ANSI/ISEA 138 is the result of collaboration between The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA), materials experts from material manufacturer representatives from leading industrial glove manufacturers, and plastic and reconstructive hand surgeon Dr. Lloyd Champagne.

This voluntary North American standard provides a uniform and accurate classification system for impact protection across all industrial work glove manufacturers and makes it easier for industries where impact protection for the hands is critical. This standard considers the minimum performance, classification, and labeling requirements for materials protecting the fingers and knuckle regions from impact.

The ANSI/ISEA 138 Standard has created a level playing field for industrial work glove users and ensures purchasers that they can compare different glove products accurately and be able to select products that will best keep operators safe and compliant.

For those who work in construction, mining, demolition, lumber, shoring, oil and gas, you can now make better choices when selecting your impact-resistant industrial work safety gloves!

UNDERSTANDING THE ANSI/ISEA 138-2019 TESTING

The ANSI/ISEA 138-2019 standard outlines three levels of impact protection where each level is determined on how effectively each work glove can disperse impactful force applied during the testing.

The way this impactful force is created is by dropping a 2-5-kilogram mass (or a “drop sinker”) onto each glove with an impact energy of five joules recording the force transferred in kilonewtons (kN). This process is repeated ten times on the fingers and eight times on the knuckles. The glove’s impact level will then be determined based on the Mean Transmitted Force (MTF) recorded.

It is important to note that the MTF of the finger region is treated separately from that of the knuckle region, so the lower mean transmitted force of the two regions will be used to classify the glove as a whole.

• ANSI/ISEA 138 LEVEL 1 (MFT ≤ 9kN): LOW PERFORMANCE - 55.0% force absorbed by protective material
• ANSI/ISEA 138 LEVEL 2: (MFT ≤ 6.5kN): MEDIUM PERFORMANCE – 67.5% force absorbed by protective material
• ANSI/ISEA 138 LEVEL 3: (MFT ≤ 4kN): HIGH PERFORMANCE – 80.0% force absorbed by protective material

PERFORMANCE LEVEL CLASSIFICATION

The MTF is measured in kilonewtons which means the lower the kilonewton measurement, the better the glove is dispersing impact energy along the surface of the protective material. This helps prevent the impact energy transmitting directly to the hand, and results in a higher-level of impact protection for the hands.

Conversely, level 1 recordings provide a higher kilonewton measurement resulting in a lower impact protection. A Level 3 performance rating results in a lower kilonewton of transmitted force to the hand, which results in better impact protection.

WORK GLOVE LABELING

All gloves claiming a performance level under ANSI/ISEA 138 must have an ANSI/ISEA 138 pictogram showcasing the level of protection offered by the glove on the glove itself or a label that is permanently attached to the glove. The pictogram marking must be visible and legible throughout the normal useful life of the glove.

The ANSI/ISEA 138 impact standard helps reduce potential workplace impact injuries to the hands in two major ways. First, it will drive functional innovation from glove manufacturers and material science research. Second, it will help safety managers compare and choose gloves that will really protect their workers. All you need to do now is tap the link and ....

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