PPE, including gloves, should be worn to protect yourself from hazardous materials and injuries when engineering controls are insufficient. Accidents are more likely to occur when PPE is not worn. The type of glove material needs to match the hazards of the chemicals being used, considering factors like chemical type, pH, toxicity, and temperature extremes. Nitrile gloves are a good general purpose option and alternative for latex allergies, while other materials like neoprene, Viton, and PVC are suited for specific chemical exposures. Proper glove removal and hand washing after their use is important.

1. Why wear PPE?
• When working with hazardous
materials cannot be avoided and
where engineering controls are
insufficient, PPE is the way to
protect yourself from injuries
• Accidents always seem to happen
“the one time” the person wasn’t
wearing PPE
• Why wear gloves?
• Important for purity/quality of work
• Protects skin from exposure

2. Identify the hazards of the
material(s) you'll be working with
• Base selection of glove type and material on
the type of exposure and nature of the hazard.
• Some chemicals can easily penetrate gloves
that work very well for other chemicals.

3. Consider these factors:
• Chemical type: Temperature extremes,
cryogenic properties
• pH: Physical hazards (sharps, piercing objects)
• Toxicity: Infectious potential of biological
hazards

4. Latex (natural rubber)
• Good for biological and water-based materials.
• Poor for organic solvents.
• Little chemical protection.
• Hard to detect puncture holes.
• Can cause or trigger latex allergies

5. Nitrile gloves
• Excellent general use gloves. Good for solvents, oils,
greases, and some acids and bases.
• Clear indication of tears and breaks.
• Good alternative for those with latex allergies.
• Butyl rubber gloves
• Good for ketones and esters.
• Poor for gasoline and aliphatic, aromatic, and halogenated
hydrocarbons.

6. Neoprene
• Good for acids, bases, alcohols, fuels, peroxides,
hydrocarbons, and phenols.
• Poor for halogenated and aromatic hydrocarbons.
• Good for most hazardous chemicals.
• Norfoil gloves
• Good for most hazardous chemicals.
• Poor fit

7. Viton gloves
• Good for chlorinated and aromatic solvents.
• Good resistance to cuts and abrasions.
• Poor for ketones.
• Expensive

8. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gloves
• Good for acids, bases, oils, fats, peroxides, and amines.
• Good resistance to abrasions.
• Poor for most organic solvents
• Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gloves
• Good for aromatic and chlorinated solvents.
• Poor for water-based solutions.

9. Stainless steel gloves
• Cut-resistant gloves.
• Sleeves are also available to provide
protection to wrists and forearms.
• (If potential for biological or chemical
contamination: wear appropriate disposable
gloves on top of your cut resistant gloves and
discard after use).

10. Cryogenic Resistant gloves
• For use with cryogenic materials.
• Designed to prevent frostbite. Note: Never dip
gloves directly into liquid nitrogen.
• Nomex gloves
• For use with pyrophoric materials.
• Consider wearing a flame-resistant glove such as
a Nomex 'flight' glove with a thin nitrile exam
glove underneath.

11. Don’t forget…
• Always remove your gloves before…
– Leaving the lab
– Touching sink handles
– Touching door handles
– Pushing elevator buttons

12. Don’t forget…
• Never save gloves for re-use.

13. Last step
• The use of gloves does not replace the need
for washing your hands!