Nitrile gloves are made of a type of synthetic rubber. They are ideal for people with latex allergies because they are made of hypoallergenic materials. What’s more, nitrile is actually stronger than latex, pound for pound, making it more durable.
In this post, we take a look at the 5 situations in which you absolutely should be using nitrile gloves to protect your hands.
When Cleaning Or Fixing
Many people require all-day hand protection, particularly those working with chemicals, such as cleaners and mechanics. Conventional gloves can become uncomfortable after a while, but because nitrile gloves conform to the skin, they generate far less friction.
When You Need Something Waterproof
Nitrile gloves are also waterproof. For that reason, you can wear them underneath conventional gloves to keep your hands dry, even if you are working with wet materials.
When You Want Something Long-lasting
Nitrile gloves generally last longer than latex gloves. The rubber they’re made of doesn’t lose its elastic material properties as rapidly over time, meaning that you can leave your gloves on a shelf in your shed for many months and still get the same performance when you take them out again.
When You Need Handwear That’s Low Friction
Traditional latex gloves come coated in a fine powder to make them easier to remove. However, this substance can cause allergies in some people, so it is not ideal.
By contrast, nitrile gloves do not have this problem. The rubber from which they’re made slips off easily and naturally, allowing you to remove them as frequently as you like.
When You Need Handwear That’s Puncture And Tear Resistant
Nitrile gloves have the added benefit of being puncture and tear resistant. That means that even if you’re working on a challenging project, you can still protect your hands. While nitrile won’t protect you against sharp objects, it is very good at preventing friction from harming you.
Who Uses Nitrile Gloves?
People use nitrile gloves for all sorts of reasons. For instance, painting and decorating firms make heavy use of them, often having a batch of them on-hand for when they need them. They’re also regularly used in the printing and dyeing industry to stop ink from getting onto the skin. They are particularly important as industrial supplies in factories dealing with indelible chemicals.
They are also a critical part of PPE in the electronics industry. Workers use them to protect their skin from potentially hazardous solder, plastics, and metals.
Doctors and the medical industry also rely heavily on these gloves. You’ll see them worn by physicians, caregivers and dentists when taking out teeth or fiddling around in patients’ mouths. Nitrile gloves are also the gloves of choice when dealing with high-risk fluids in medical situations, such as infected blood.
Are Disposable Gloves Sterile?
Most nitrile gloves are sterile but it depends on how the manufacturer treated them. Outside of the medical setting, sterilisation isn’t usually a major concern. The main concern is creating a barrier between workers’ skin and the objects in their hands.
