The Importance of Gloves in Agriculture

As the agricultural industry requires workers to frequently use manual labor, there are concerns for hand safety when operating heavy machinery, insecticides or chemical herbicides, extreme seasonal changes, and cuts or abrasion from harvesting crops. Workers in the agricultural industry often need to perform tasks that include working with live animals, handling herbicides or pesticides, and coming into contact with contaminated soil. Many herbicides and pesticides contain chemicals that can be toxic to humans. Commonly used herbicides and pesticides in the agricultural industry include: glyphosate, chlorpyrifos, and paraquat.

These chemicals can cause toxic chemical reactions in the bodies of workers who come in contact with them and can be permeated through the skin. It is imperative that the gloves used by workers provide adequate protection for those chemicals which come into skin contact with them. Workers must also be mindful to reduce the chance of bacteria spreading among livestock and the produce they must plant. A worker can come into contact with infected livestock and transfer pathogens to other environments or other healthy livestock. Zoonotic diseases, ones that spread from animals to humans, can arise due to improper protection and prevention. As for working with machinery, workers need a strong, durable glove that can protect them during repairs or usage. Common machinery in the agricultural industry would be tractors, seed drills, trowels, plows, and various other heavy machinery, which not only can cause workplace accidents if improper PPE (personal protective equipment) is used but involves contact with various toxic chemicals as well.

Due to these concerns, disposable nitrile gloves have become a popular glove choice for those who work in the agricultural industry. While latex gloves have a more comfortable fit, many people are allergic to latex – as previously mentioned in another blog post. Nitrile is the next best material, with comparable dexterity. Nitrile gloves offer enhanced durability as they are resistant to punctures, such as when handling heavy machinery or prickly produce. In fact, all SW products tested for puncture resistance using ASTM 1342 and EN 388 standards and are proven to offer better resistance to punctures than average nitrile gloves and at least 3 times more puncture resistance compared to latex gloves with similar thickness.

Another reason is that nitrile gloves are resistant to chemicals, as the material does not break down easily in the presence of strong chemicals. SW products undergo chemical permeation resistance testing as per ASTM F739-12 and EN 16523 testing standards to ensure our gloves offer the utmost chemical protection. Lastly, there is the concern about the spread of pathogens. SW nitrile gloves are tested and proven to protect against bacteria and fungi, but also viruses according to ASTM F1671 and EN 374-5:2016. SW’s disposable nitrile gloves are a competitive choice in choosing between high quality nitrile gloves that address multiple concerns agricultural workers may come across in their workplace environments.

 

PF-95BK is perfect for livestock handling and fishery work. It has Type B chemical resistance and provides better resistance against agrochemicals, sanitizing agents, preservatives, and food simulant chemicals. PF-95BK is certified in viral penetration resistance and prevents harmful microbial contamination during livestock maintenance or when handling spoiled food. PF-95BK’s silicon and residue-free surface ensure minimal product contamination concerns while providing benefits on final product inspection and packaging ready-to-eat food. The optimal thickness of the product helps to facilitate dexterity and allows the user to use the product for longer periods of time without hand fatigue. The glove comes with a finger textured surface, which provides extra grip to prevent an accidental slippage when moving food items during repetitive activities.

 

SW’s PF-95TL glove is perfect for livestock handling and fishery work as well. It comes with all the benefits of PF-95BK and one additional feature. PF-95TL is tested against Chemotherapy drug resistance against organic treatment chemicals. Customers who are concerned about toxic material penetration during application in the work field should consider using this glove.

 

SW’s PF-95OR glove is great for farming, livestock handling, and fishery work. Again, it has all the benefits of the PF-95BK glove as well as SW’s patented TracTek grip technology, which provides better dexterity and grip in wet and oily working environments. Additionally, PF-95OR’s prominent orange color provides easy visualization of glove.

 

Our PF-95BL glove is suited for moderate outdoor work. Its abrasion-resistant surface provides more durability when using tools and equipment. PF-95BL contains SW patented Dry Core technology. The thinner moisture-absorbing layer provides comfort from sweat accumulating inside the glove during warmer and humid work environments. This allows users to work extended hours without irritability. It also has all the added perks of SW’s PF-95BK glove.

 

SW’s MM-11BK glove contains all the advantages of PF-95BK and PF-95TL. MM-11BK has a three-times more abrasion-resistant rubber surface to provide more durability when using tools and equipment for outdoor work. MM-11BK contains SW’s patented DriTek technology. DriTek sweat management flocking layer allows a cushioning for moderate cold work conditions. In addition to these advantages, SW’s MM-11BK glove is UL Puncture certified, assuring that it provides adequate protection against pointy(sharp) impacts during working. This protects customers’ hands from unintentional mechanical harm.

Other SW gloves suited for the agricultural industry are our PowerChem F22B and NewTrile NU11 gloves. SW’s PowerChem F22B glove offers viral penetration resistance, Type B chemical resistance, abrasion resistance, and tear resistance as our PF glove series. What differs is the hand specific design and the sand patched texture on the surface of the glove. It provides better-wet condition gripp to prevent accidents while enhancing employee efficiency in outdoor activities, cleaning, and packaging. PowerChem F22B is suited for working in colder working environments as the natural rubber outer surface acts as a thermal barrier preventing cold contact on hands and fingers. It has an inner flock-lined surface to provide better comfort during prolonged working conditions as well. Furthermore, PowerChem F22B comes with a case-hardened outside surface. This special treatment removes residue and denatures the contacting surface to ensure the minimal product contamination concerns in final product inspection and packaging in ready-to-eat operations.

SW’s NewTrile NU11 glove has all the advantages of our PowerChem F22B glove and more. The hand-specific design facilitates donning and doffing, minimizing preparation time. Both inside and outside are case hardened for optimized chemical and mechanical resistance. It has a unique diamond-textured grip that provides better grip in wet and oily conditions in demanding working situations or in outdoor environments such as: cleaning, processing, holding, and packing wet and oily foodstuffs and working tools. SW offers a fully-fledged catalog of gloves and a dedicated customer service and technical support team that can assist and advise in the evaluation of what is the best glove for their tasks and hand health. All of these gloves can be found on our website with specific details on their product pages.