Bashlin PPE Lineworker Natural Rubber Gloves

Rubber products must be visually inspected for punctures, embedded objects, tears or deterioration from chemicals or UV rays.

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How-To Corner

Glove Care; Storage:

Proper storage extends the life of linemen's gloves and sleeves. Folds and creases strain rubber and cause it to crack from ozone prematurely. By storing rubber gloves and sleeves in the right size bag or roll-up, and never forcing more than one pair into each bag, equipment will lie flat and last longer. Refer to ASTM F1286, standard guide for visual inspection of electrical protective rubber products for additional information.

Glove Care; Before Each Use:

Inspect gloves for holes, rips, tears, ozone cutting, UV checking, and signs of chemical deterioration. Defective or suspected defective equipment shall not be used.

Inflating gloves makes cuts, tears or ozone damage easier to detect. Expand no more than 1.5 times their normal size for Type 1, and 1.25 times normal for Type II SALCOR. Expansion stretches the rubber, making cuts, ozone damage and abrasions easy to detect. Listen for escaping air to detect holes. If a portable inflator is unavailable, roll the cuff tightly to trap air inside, then apply pressure to areas of the glove to listen for escaping air. Repeat procedure with glove turned inside out.

Inspecting Rubber Gloves & Sleeves:

Cracking & Cutting Shown above is the damage caused by prolonged folding or compressing	Chemical Attack This image shows swelling caused by oils and other petroleum compounds
Snags Damage shown here is due to wood and metal splinters and other sharp objects	UV Checking Storing in areas exposed to prolonged sunlight causes UV checking
Avoid Folding Gloves The strain on rubber at a folded point is equal to stretching the glove to twice its length	Avoid Storing Inside Out Gloves should never be stored inside out. Storing gloves reversed strains the rubber severely and causes ozone cutting