ISEA is seeking public comments in response to its proposed new voluntary standard for impact-resistant hand protection. Currently designated as ISEA 138, establishes minimum performance, classification and labeling requirements, for hand protection products designed to protect the knuckles and fingers from impact forces, while performing occupational tasks. Impact-resistant gloves are commonly used in the automotive, heavy equipment and construction operation, cargo handling, oil /gas and towing/transportation industries.
While standards and guidance have been in place for certain types of hand injuries such as those caused by cuts, punctures and chemical exposure, there has been no standardized approach to address dorsal or back-of-hand injuries such as bone breakage and fractures, bruising and finger pinching. “ISEA members recognize that the decision-making process can be challenging, given the numerous glove designs currently available,” said Chris Meadows, Program Manager of D3O and chairman of ISEA’s impact-glove working group. “We believe the standard will enable safety professionals to make better-informed decisions about glove selection, ultimately reducing the number of injuries to a worker’s important asset—the hand.”
Public review comments will be accepted from November 2-December 17, 2018 and should be submitted to ISEA’s Director of Member and Technical Services, Cristine Fargo.
To order a copy of the standard under consideration, click here. There is a $20 charge for the public review copy.
In addition, consensus body members in targeted stakeholder groups are still being accepted. These reviewers submit comments and vote on approval of the standard; they are the final authority in determining whether a standard is submitted to ANSI for acceptance as an American National Standard. Consensus panel members are needed in the following categories:
- Government – An agency or department that has a regulatory or other interest in the product.
- General Interest – An organization that has a special interest in this standard due to safety, technical or other requirements or an individual expert with knowledge in the area(s) covered by the standard, but who neither produces nor uses products covered by the standard.
