Changes to the EN388 Safety Glove Standard
Mid-2016 will be a turning point in the safety industry as it is when the revision to the EN388 standard for gloves will be published and available to the public!
Why the change?
The EN388 standard has not been revised since 2003. Since then, there have been advances in materials used to make high-quality, cut-resistant gloves. For example, the current method used to test cut-resistance for EN388 is not ideal for gloves featuring liners blended with steel and glass because the test blade can rapidly become blunt. So now, data from the EN ISO 13997 test is being considered to provide an additional cut performance indicator.
What’s Changing?
There are 3 things you need to know about the changes to EN388 Standard.
- The EN388 Standard project recommends that when gloves offering high levels of cut protection are needed, results of the ENO ISO 13997 test method should be considered. This will cross-validate the glove’s cut level protect.
- The ISO test methods are expected to be adopted within the EN 388 test method with results categorized and displayed as follows:
- This means there will be a change to the symbol shown on every EN 388 certified safety glove. The additional ISO performance level result may be added as a 5th digit following the existing EN388 test results under the pictogram. Here is a comparison between the current and the revised EN388 symbol:
And finally…
While all this new information might seem confusing right now, it is believed that these changes will improve glove testing and selection overall by making the EN 388 standard more accurate and reliable. According to Olivier Boubeaud, a member of the Technical Committee charged with revising the standard, “The EN388 2016 will help protective glove users make better and more informed choices about the product they purchase and put so much more faith in the glove.”
Elliotts will be progressively testing our gloves and updating our product information and Product Data Sheets (PDS).
Browse through our cut-resistant gloves range and find more details about each product.
Contact Us
If you’re thinking, “what cut-resistant glove would best suit my needs?”, we can help. Feel free to get in contact with us at Elliotts Australia, we would be glad to assist you! Call us on 07 3265 2944 or send us a message – HERE.
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