Industrial Gloves...'Handling' Issues in a Changing World
Chemical 'Conflict'
Chemical-resistant...the mere name conjures up images of hot, heavy suits designed to ward off the effects of weapons of mass death...whether delivered in the mail or at the end of a rocket. Although chemical-resistant gloves are routinely used in civilian applications to protect hands from harmful chemicals (including ketones and esters) in a variety of industries, their impermeability to agents like Seran and 'mustard' gas make them a particularly attractive product to manufacture and stock in these uncertain times.
One of the problems, however, has been the cost of mass producing hand protection made from highly-effective, yet very costly, materials like butyl...a synthetic rubber which is purported to provide the highest permeation resistance to gases and water vapors of any material, synthetic or natural, in use today in the construction of hand protection. As a result, few stockpiles did actually exist last fall when 'sabers began rattling' throughout the Persian Gulf in response to increasing tensions between the United States and Iraq.
Sold Out, But to Whom?
So what happens when there's sudden demand for these types of products? Domestic suppliers naturally gravitated toward their largest potential end-user market...the military. Unfortunately it wasn't the U.S. military that benefited from these limited supplies, but the Israelis, Pakistanis, and others throughout the entire region who 'stepped-up' their PPE (personal protective equipment) purchases, especially with regard to their chemical-resistance and biohazard-response needs.
'Offshore' Production
So where does additional production of this crucial PPE come from? Most, if not all, of the chemical-resistant gloves currently on the market are 'sourced' from overseas-based manufacturers. Price being 'the issue', production will go where it can be accommodated with the least labor costs. This includes locales throughout the Middle, Near, and Far East where political and socioeconomic instabilities continually threaten production capabilities or their critically-needed output.
If domestic production is incapable of meeting U.S. emergency needs, are we really prepared to 'count on' overseas imports from such potentially unstable sources? Unfortunately this type of deficiency gets underscored only when there are 'national security' issues at stake and it's already too late.
Who's Going to Step Up to the R & D 'Plate'?
So what are the alternatives to being 'held hostage' to such uncertain production sources? Increasing domestic production is one answer but how to do so while, at the same time, producing a product that's cost-effective and competitive with foreign imports? Only through the development of new and innovative technologies and products can the U.S. hope to regain its rapidly dwindling share of the glove manufacturing market.
But profit margins for domestic glove companies are already razor thin, forcing them into increasingly becoming 'distributors' and 'marketers'... often of the same products as those being imported by their competitors...rather than true 'manufacturers'. On the other hand, the overseas 'manufacturers' are predominately 'production houses', with little emphasis being placed upon innovation. Having the capability to develop these new, lighter weight, more-effective compounds and materials has, as a result unfortunately, largely fallen by the wayside. Whereas most of the major U.S. glove companies used to have their own R&D (research and development) departments working to create different polymers, different compounds, different styles, and different applications for gloves, scant few still do. Others have 'outsourced' this function, again, to cheaper labor markets like India.
Another unfortunate result of this shift in product generation is that oftentimes, even when there is a 'new' product introduction, the domestic manufacturers' reps are often remiss or deficient in their ability to 'educate', 'excite', and 'motivate' their own distributors. It's one thing to deliver a new product and explain its application, it's quite another to identify the need that existed that precipitated the development of that particular glove as well as whatever industries, by SIC (Standard Industrial Classifications) code, it was intended for use in.
'Needs' Driving Development & Production
In 2001, manufacturers were back-logged with orders of disposable, powder-free nitrile gloves due to the anthrax scare in mail boxes, post offices, and government buildings throughout the country. A similar situation occurred during the late '80's and early '90's when Universal Health Precautions was established requiring all health employees to wear gloves due to the AIDS epidemic. Then in the mid-'90's, latex allergies emerged and a huge demand for powder-free gloves created another production back-log.
Where's the Current 'Need'?
So where is the current incentive to come from? What's the 'magic glove' that will re-invigorate 'niche' production, corner the latest market, or prompt the next mass production run?
At present there are only two hand protection alternatives when working with ketones. The first is the 'laminate' glove material whereby a water-soluble, chemical-resistant (ethylene vinyl alcohol) layer is 'sandwiched' in between two layers of polyethylene. It's effective but gloves made from these materials tend to be uncomfortable and ill-fitting. The second is butyl whose previously-mentioned qualities in providing unsurpassed chemical protection make it a highly desirable product to focus upon. It has potential applications in practically every industry in the country, not to mention every laboratory in the world where acetone's widely used and cheaper alternatives, such as heavy-mil disposable nitrile or natural rubber gloves, are often being inappropriately used in butyl's place.
The main drawback, however, has been the cost of a 14 to 30 mil, multiply, non-disposable butyl glove where a lighter weight, cheaper, disposable product is actually called for. A keytone-resistant disposable glove, packaged in reasonably-priced (equivalent to nitrile products) dispenser boxes would presumably address this need, and not just in the 'fearful' arena of military applications, but also in the more 'mundane', everyday world where 'hazardous chemicals' can mean everything from kitchen degreasers to lawn fertilizers.
Crystal Ball
So where is the hand protection industry headed in the years to come? The full palm, 'flat'-dipped (with PVC, nitrile, natural rubber, and polyurethane) stringknits will, if recent past history is an indicator, continue to dominate the 'general purpose' segment of the industry...increasingly incorporating the previously-mentioned attributes of comfort and safety. Whether these improvements will come predominately in the form of new materials or new designs is still a point of some contention. What is not, is that existing polymers will undoubtedly see an expansion of their current roles. For example, lighter-weight materials like Spectra, Dyneema, and Twaron will, along with stainless steel/yarn combinations, further supplement Kevlar as a construction material in those industries (including automotive and food processing) traditionally requiring cut-resistant hand protection.
The Bottom Line
Hand-related injuries account for, in some estimates, as many as one-quarter of all reported occupational injuries classified as 'preventable'. In 2000, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, reported 138,325 industrial injuries involving the fingers with a median of four (4) lost days per injury. That equates to over one thousand five hundred (1,500) YEARS of lost worker productivity, just within one year! Estimates of the 'per incident' cost of such injuries range from $3,000 to $6,000. Even using the lower figure, however, this still represents a loss to American industry of almost a half a BILLION dollars per year! No wonder OSHA (the Occupational Safety & Health Administration) requires employers to provide (and employees to wear), not only 'gloves' per se, but specifically gloves that are rated for particular jobs.
The consensus is that besides price, comfort (in terms of dexterity, light-weight, and flexibility) and safety (in terms of providing the best protection...abrasion, cut, chemical, thermal, etc.-resistance... for a particular application) are still the leading end-user 'drivers' when it comes to choosing a particular glove. Depending upon usage and application, 'longevity' (in terms of durability and launderability) is also a consideration, although to a varying degree depending upon whether the end-user questioned happens to be the 'employee' or the 'employer'!
Whether in the industrial sector or in the retail market, two things are certain...the hand protection a person prefers to wear on the job mirrors what they prefer to wear when working at home as well. If they don't like it, it won't get worn. True too is the reality of the potential for production interruptions on products being imported from questionable 'offshore' sources. If it's not available, it won't get worn either.
