Should we Eliminate Cut Resistant Gloves to Make Hand washing easier?

I work for a company that does dry spice and seasoning blending. Typically, 50 lb. bags of ingredients are placed on top of the screens at the top of the blenders, and cut open using utility knives (hoping to replace with single piece fixed blade knives at some point).

Now, everyone wears cut resistant gloves all the time, and when they are cutting in product, they just put nitrile gloves over their cut resistant gloves. However, because people wear these fabric cut resistant gloves so frequently, hand washing does not happen as frequently as it should. Additionally, these cut resistant gloves get dirty, and are probably just contaminating the nitrile gloves when the put them on.

I want to eliminate these cut resistant gloves all together. Employees are trained to cut away from themselves anyways. Would this pose a serious safety concern, or would it be worth it to reduce one of the barriers to adequate hand washing?

First, determine how often the employees have inadvertently cut their gloves (instead of their hands of course.)

Next, if your employees have been trained over and over again on the importance of wearing cut resistence gloves - determine the impact of taking them away - this may be harder than you may know.

I was just looking at a plastic cutter - all one piece for a client and they will start using them next month, the blade is all in one and it is intended to cut open bags such as the ones you are using in one shot and without any possibility of cutting the person - you would have to break off a chunk of the guard to actually cut oneself, these folks will be switching over to nitril gloves too.

First, determine how often the employees have inadvertently cut their gloves (instead of their hands of course.)

I mean, I don't think this happens very often (if at all), but I think it would be very difficult to measure in any case. But the last thing I want is to have a rash of injuries right when we take away the gloves.

I am more interested to hear if other companies have employees wear cut proof gloves for this sort of cutting?

Yes, you should (if nothing else, for insurance purposes---you have a duty to protect your employees)

But a cut resistant glove CAN also be direct contact approved

We cut bags & boxes open all the time, but never had cut resistant gloves. In my experience, the times where people were injured were because they cut towards themselves. Usually they cut themselves on their forearms; so that would even be higher than where a cut resistant glove would typically reach.

If they are working properly, they aren't likely to cut themselves. Also as SQF mentioned, there are definitely safety knives available to help prevent this sort of safety hazard.

We cut bags & boxes open all the time

What kind of knives do you use?

What kind of knives do you use?

The generic OLFA safety knives with retractable blades.

If you have properly trained staff, and there are no instances of cut safety gloves, get rid of the requirement.
 

Marshall

you can use sterilizer for cut resistant gloves, if these are like the gloves that used by butchers and meat workers.

you can use sterilizer for cut resistant gloves, if these are like the gloves that used by butchers and meat workers.

Our products tend to be very dusty, so i don't think there are any safety gloves that would work for us without some sort of sanitary glove over the top.

You need to do both a safety risk analysis to determine if you need a PPE, AND a food safety analysis regarding the impact of the gloves on the process. A hook knife with an embedded blade like the one in the picture is a great way to reduce all risks to very low. We use the ones (attached) from McMaster Carr for as much as possible to all but eliminate blades from the production floor.

Use safety knives, then you won't need the gloves.  They will hate them as they're not as easy to cut with but also much harder to injure yourself.  My preferred type is a heavy duty penguin.  https://www.safetykn...guin-900-series