Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) is an international industry standard sampling process for evaluating the quality of a finished glove product. AQL measures quality by determining the highest number of defects accepted in a random selection of a glove product batch. The lower the AQL, the better the quality and less likelihood of defects.
AQL is a pass/fail where a predetermined sample size of a manufactured lot is assessed following the sampling plan and protocols established by the various international standards. More stringent standards can also be set by manufacturers to ensure stricter and higher quality is delivered to the customer. The sampling plan is an inspection procedure of a sample size (which are gloves that are randomly selected from a batch of gloves) that is used to determine acceptance or rejection criteria from an inspection batch or lot. The sample size to be tested is set by:
Surgical Gloves Standards | Inspection Level | AQL |
---|---|---|
AS/NZS 4179:20141 |
G1 | 1.0 |
ASTM 3577:20092 |
G1 | 1.5 |
EN 455 Part 1:20003 |
G1 | 1.5 |
ISO 10282:20144 |
G1 | 1.5 |
JIS T9107:20055 |
G1 | 1.5 |
Table 1: Surgical Gloves Standards
Click here to learn more.
1. AS/NZS 4179:2014 Single-use sterile rubber surgical gloves http://infostore.saiglobal.com/store/Details.aspx?ProductID=1742680 Accessed 4-12-15