How To Choose The Best Work Gloves For Your Crew

By Author: Industrial Safety Gear
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Every job your crew takes on deserves to have a pair of excellent work gloves. Finding the right design for each specific task is crucial, but uncovering options that fit well, stay comfortable, and encourage productivity isn't always easy.

The options for work gloves today are nearly infinite. You can find task-specific options, products meant for general purposes, and lightweight products that deliver different protection levels.

Different textures, cuts, and gripping materials appeal to some jobs, but not others. Do you need something built with a rubber palm, or would it make more sense to purchase a reinforced design?

How to Pick the Right Work Gloves for Your Crew
A person's hands are their moneymakers. If your crew isn't able to work because their hands are out of commission, your project won't get completed on time.

The best way to safeguard that resource is to pick the right work gloves. Here is the information you need to know to achieve that outcome.

1. Glove Material
When you ...
... start looking for high-quality work gloves, the first consideration is to select an appropriate material for the work. Several options are in this category to review, with each one providing specific benefits.

Job-Related Tasks Best Work Gloves to Use for Those Tasks
Electrical Work When your crew is working around or on live wires, it helps to have work gloves made of rubber or leather to reduce the risk of electrical shock. Avoid anything that contains any type of metal.
Punctures or Cuts Anyone working with sharp objects must have gloves with cut-resistant features to keep their hands safe. Although this product is tough, it won't protect someone from all potential injuries. Look for puncture-resistant features, including padding, reinforced palms, knuckle guards, or extra padding while maintaining the required dexterity.
Handling Machinery When your crew handles delicate machinery or moves from the job site to the computer and back, a half-finger or fingerless work glove might be the right option. This product keeps hands protected and warm while supporting tasks that require more skill.
Metalworking and Welding If your job tasks include working outdoors in the cold or heat, working with metal, or being around flames, it helps to have gloves rated for the expected environment. Metalworking products often use a fire retardant in the design, while cold-temperature options have more insulation to trap heat.
Heavy-Duty Tasks When your crew does landscaping, woodworking, construction, or jobs with power tools, the best gloves have impact-resistance features. That includes extra padding in the knuckles and palms to absorb shocks.
Chemicals and Liquids Any job that puts workers around plumbing, painting, carpentry, or gardening work requires gloves with built-in water resistance. Watertight is not the same as water-resistant, so you'll want to carefully review the product's specs to ensure it meets your needs.
Some work gloves combine elements of multiple categories to provide an all-around wearing experience. Choosing a product based on the tasks you expect to complete ensures that your crew will have the support they need to be successful.

2. Pick the Right Extras
Although finding the right material is important when looking for the best work gloves for your crew, there's more to a great product than a proper cut and design.

You'll want to review these additional options to ensure your work gloves are perfect for each job that needs to get done.

Rubber Grip. Work gloves that come with this feature along the fingers or palm make it easier to complete detailed work without reducing the protection offered to workers. The product comes with extra texturing to prevent slippage.
Touchscreen Pads. Some jobs require workers to interact with technology and have complete finger protection. This option places a touch-sensitive pad on the product's fingertips to interact with touchscreens.
Velcro Straps. Instead of slipping on over the hand and wrist, some work gloves provide a strap that creates a secure connection. This feature works well in environments where pulling on the product could occur.

3. Find the Right Fit
If your crew operates like a jack- or a jill-of-all-trades, the sizing and fit of the work glove will add comfort. Inside seams provide more durability at the expense of potentially irritating the skin. A seam across the back provides a better fit, while going across the palm offers fewer restrictions.

Most people wear the wrong glove size for their hands. Correcting this issue can increase productivity because it stops hand fatigue and other symptoms that could harm the individual.

Work gloves come in standard sizes, ranging from “Small” to “Extra Large.” Some manufacturers offer an “Extra Small” or go up to 4X Large or higher.

Each worker will need to measure their palm circumference to ensure the glove will fit correctly. It helps to take this measurement in the center of the palm, wrapping all around the hand.

Try to use the dominant hand when taking this measurement, especially if the crew is doing this work themselves.

Some brands separate the sizes into men's and women's categories, while others use a unisex approach. If there are two different sizing options, the women's measurements are typically about an inch less for each size. If you bought a medium men's glove for a palm circumference of nine inches, you might need a large women's glove for the same hand size.

Are You Ready to Find the Best Work Gloves for Your Crew?
Although some jobs can use work gloves that take a one-size-fits-all approach, it isn't always that simple to pick a pair and call it good.

It helps to find work gloves that fit the preferences and needs of each crew member while providing support for the specific tasks they must complete. You're looking for the right combination of protection, agility, comfort, and durability.

Our inventory of high-quality work delivers specific benefits that could help your workers in different situations. If you need further assistance in selecting the best gloves for your crew, we'll be happy to offer a helping hand!

IndustrialSafetyGear.com (ISG) has been serving the personal protective equipment needs of individuals, distributors, government agencies and businesses of all sizes since 2002.