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Permeation, Breakthrough & Degradation
Choosing the Right Glove and Material for the Job

OSHA has issued its final rule on clarifying employers’ duty to provide personal protective equipment and to train employees on how to where and use it.

The rule revises OSHA standards to clarify that, for employers to be in compliance, they must provide personal protective equipment (PPE) and hazards training for each employee covered by the standards.

Each employee not protected may be considered a separate violation and penalties assessed accordingly. This revised language is consistent with language in other standards for which per-employee citations have been upheld.

The final rule amendments do not add new compliance obligations. Employers are not required to provide new kinds of PPE or hazards training or use a different approach than what is already required.

Additionally, employers are not required to provide PPE or training to employees not already covered by existing requirements. “This technical correction to the PPE standard brings it in line with other OSHA safety and health standards,” said Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Thomas M. Stohler. “By making this change, those few employers who egregiously violate the OSHA PPE standard can be held fully accountable for violations affecting each employee who is not provided proper PPE.”

Still, PPE and chemical protective clothing should not be considered as a replacement for engineering control methods.

However, there are often few alternatives. One phrase commonly found on Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), “wear impervious (or impermeable) gloves” has very limited value. OSHA says it is technically inaccurate. No glove material will remain impervious to a specific chemical forever. No one glove material is resistant to all chemicals. Some chemicals will travel through or permeate the glove in a few seconds, while other chemicals may take days or weeks.

OSHA says, information specifying the best type of chemical protective material is what should be on the MSDS (e.g., neoprene, butyl rubber). If this information is measuring the time it takes to detect the chemical on the inside surface. The sensitivity of the analytical instruments used in these measurements influence when a chemical is first detected. The breakthrough time gives some indication of how long a glove can be used before the chemical will permeate through the material.

Degradation is a measurement of the physical deterioration of the material due to contact with a chemical. The material may get harder, stiffer, more brittle, softer, weaker or may swell. The worst example is that the material may actually dissolve in the chemical.

Choosing the Right Material for the Job

Based on the three variables, it becomes apparent that you must carefully choose the appropriate material for each job. Before deciding about which kind of glove or other chemical protective clothing to use, you should gather and analyze information on a number of factors such as:

1. Complete, accurate description of the task.

2. Identification of all hazards that may require hand protection. This should include a list of the chemicals involved as well as physical hazards such as abrasion, tearing, puncture and temperature. The kind of hazards will also affect the decision to use other chemical protective clothing in addition to gloves.

3. Flexibility and touch sensitivity needed for the task. This need may significantly limit the thickness of glove material that can be used. The requirement for textured or non-slip surfaces to improve grip must also be considered.

4. Type of potential contact (e.g., occasional contact or splash protection or continuous immersion of hands). This will also help in choosing the appropriate length of the glove.

5. Contact period. How long the worker could be in contact with the chemical (and which chemicals) may also influence the selection of type and thickness of the glove material and the choice of lined or unlined gloves.

6. Potential effects of skin exposure. The immediate irritation or corrosion of the skin must be considered in addition to the potential health effects to the entire body from absorbing the chemical through the skin.

7. Decontamination procedures. Consider whether the gloves should be disposed of or cleaned after use. If they are cleaned, consider the cleaning method, how often they can be cleaned, and any special procedures required for disposing of the “decontamination wash waste?”

8. Training required. This includes:

• What are the hazards of skin contact with the chemical;

• What are limitations of the gloves;

• What could happen and what to do if the gloves fail; and

• When to dispose of or to decontaminate gloves.

Suggested materials should be selected based on quantitative information such as permeation rate, breakthrough time, penetration and degradation, and the other considerations mentioned above.

Various factors like the thickness of the material, manufacturing methods, and product quality control can have a significant effect on these properties.

For a few specific situations when it is impossible to predict the variety of hazards, multi-laminate gloves made of layers of several different materials are available.)

Important Points about Skin and Hand Protection

Since there are many hazards, hand protection can be provided in a variety of ways: finger guards, cots and thimbles, hand pads, mitts and gloves.

OSHA requires choosing hand protection that adequately protects from the hazard(s) of a specific job and adequately meets the specific tasks involved in the job (such as flexibility or dexterity).

• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for care, decontamination and maintenance of gloves.

• Be aware that some materials may cause reactions in some workers such as allergies to latex. Offer alternatives where possible.

• Ensure the gloves fit properly.

• Ensure all exposed skin is covered by gloves. Gloves should be long enough so that there is no gap between the glove and sleeve.

• Do not wear gloves with metal parts near electrical equipment.

• Do not use worn or torn gloves.

• Clean gloves as instructed by the supplier.

• Inspect and test gloves for defects before using.

• Test all rubber or synthetic gloves for leaks by inflating them.

Workplace Evaluation

The selected glove should be carefully tested in the actual job conditions. In some situations it may be desirable to do laboratory tests on the gloves using American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) methods. This is especially important if you do not have information of the permeation time of a particular chemical you are using or if you are using mixtures of solvents or chemicals. Some glove manufacturers may undertake these tests for their customers.

Does The Use Of Chemical Protective Clothing Require A Program Audit?

A process needs to be in place to ensure a competent person reviews the selection and use of chemical protective clothing. If chemical protective gloves and clothing are required, there should be a complete program in place that includes:

• The training of workers in the proper use and care of protective gear; and

• The selection, fitting, maintenance and inspection of the protective clothing and gloves.

A successful program will ensure that any changes in chemicals being used are accounted for; it will uncover any problems and will result in necessary changes or improvements.

Unfortunately, chemical protective clothing is often considered as a fast and easy method of providing skin protection. The long-term costs of setting up and maintaining a chemical protective clothing program may be higher than the costs for implementing proper engineering controls.

In addition, even with the use of gloves, the risk of contact with the chemical still remains. However, in many situations, when the engineering controls for enclosing hazardous chemicals are not practicable, a chemical protective clothing program becomes essential for the protection of workers.

Since personal protective equipment such as gloves are the last line of defense, considerable effort should be expended to ensure that adequate protection is actually being provided.

Many manufacturers of chemical protective clothing provide charts and computer software to help in selecting the appropriate gloves when working with a chemical or a specific mixture. In addition, there are various glove-material compatibility charts and other glove selection aids available from independent sources. However care must be taken in interpreting generic information, since the properties, thicknesses, and quality assurance of glove materials may vary between manufacturers.

For solvent mixtures, however, tests may have to be carried out if data is not available for a specific mixture. The reason for this is that the properties of the mixture, especially permeation time, cannot be predicted by using data from the individual components of the mixture. FSM

Permeation, Breakthrough