Hand Protection Standards, Ratings, & Testing
Proper hand protection is critical. Cuts and punctures are avoidable, and there are multiple standards in place that define a glove’s ability to withstand both types of contact. This guide should make it easier to determine the type of glove that is right for you based on your job and the levels of protection offered.
ANSI vs EN : Explaining Cut Protection Ratings Applicable Standards : Cut Protection
There are two standards that determine the cut protection ratings assigned to a glove: ANSI and EN. More specifi - cally, ANSI/ISEA 105-2016 , which is the North America standard for measuring cut-resistant materials, and EN388 , which is the European standard. To determine how cut resistant a material is, it must be tested against a blade. Unfortunately, North America and Europe have two different test methods. Both of those test methods were updated in 2016. The most notable change was increasing the levels of cut resistance to spread out the range of grams to cut. There are two significant issues associated with these standards that should be explored in greater detail: • The specific testing methods associated with each standard • The designations and ratings assigned to each level, and their subsequent meanings ANSI/ISEA 105-2016 : Testing Method • Cut Levels A1 - A9 This is the North America standard for measuring cut-resistant materials. It uses a Tomodynamometer Machine (TDM-100) and the test is based on the ASTM F2992-15 standard. The goal of this test is to measure how much force is needed to cut through a fabric in the following steps: • The glove sample is placed on a conductive strip and loaded onto the TDM-100. When the metal blade touches the metal strip, the test is terminated. • A straight blade is loaded into the machine. • Weight is added to serve as force. • The blade moves across the fabric. • The blade is replaced with a new one before each subsequent cut to ensure accuracy. • The sample is cut five times, each with three different loads. • The distance travelled to cause cut through at various forces is recorded. • The data is used to determine the load required to cut through the sample. • The weight (measured in grams) that cuts through the material determines the cut level rating. This test ranges from cut levels A1 to A9 and is represented in grams. This newer scale allows for testing of higher cut resistant materials and to more accurately categorize the results up to 6000 grams. The old scale (revised in 2016) peaked at 3500 grams, and went only as high as ANSI cut level 5.
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