Safety glove buyers beware

Caveat emptor is Latin for "let the buyer beware" (from caveat, "may he beware", a subjunctive form of cavēre, "to beware" joined with ēmptor, "buyer").

Generally, caveat emptor acknowledges what is referred to as “information asymmetry”— buyers typically have less information about the good or service they are purchasing, while the seller typically has more information.

So, when it comes to safety gloves and the responsibilities of those who do the purchasing, caveat emptor is one bit of Latin that might come in handy. How do you know that you are getting what you paid for?

Reading the recent revision of AS/NZS 2161.1:2016 Occupational protective gloves - Part 1: Selection, use and maintenance, there is a nod in the direction of “caveat emptor” with the addition of Appendix C, Information on the Purchase of Gloves.

Few people involved in WHS in Australia and New Zealand realise, if I talk about safety gloves, that when it comes to Personal Protective Equipment and Australian and New Zealand Standards, we do not have any legislative requirements to compel manufacturers (or importers and agents) to submit their products for testing and certification by accredited testing authorities.

In Europe, the European Union PPE Directive 89/686 requires validation of claimed EN performance ratings.

In Australia, manufacturers can undertake their own testing and issue their own compliance statements.

What does this mean for people who are responsible for specifying and purchasing hand protection for their organisation?

Caveat emptor! This is a quote from Appendix C  — “Purchasers and wearers who require assurances the EU-rated medium-risk Category Two and high-risk Category Three products are fully compliant with either AS/NZS 2161.2:2005 or EN 420:2003, should ask manufacturers/suppliers to produce evidence of this.”

And this quote also has particular significance — “Laboratories performing the tests in the AS/NZS series of Standards should be accredited for such tests by signatories to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) through their Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA).”

NATA (National Association of Testing Laboratories) for Australia and IANZ (International Accreditation New Zealand) for New Zealand are accredited to ILAC (MRA).

Simply, when it comes to incredibly cheap safety gloves that claim to be the answer to all of your problems on site, another old adage should be applied — “if it is too good to be true, then it is too good to be true”.

Caveat emptor.

Do you want reliable chemical protection?

With the uvex u-fit product range, uvex offers high-quality disposable safety gloves, which guarantee a high level of safety and functionality.

uvex u-fit strong gloves offer reliable protection in many industry sectors, including the chemical/medical industries and in production, enabling comfortable and precise work.

Chloroprene makes the uvex u-fit strong model particularly flexible, while its wall thickness makes it adequate as a chemical protection glove in accordance with EN 374. The accuracy of fit and elasticity makes it comparable with natural latex, but without the potential to cause allergies.