What is Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) and why it matters?

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:

• The lot or batch size
• The inspection level - determined by region as reflected in Table 1
• AQL level specified in standards for the market or determined by individual manufacturers

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<sup>Sources:
1. AS/NZS 4179:2014 Single-use sterile rubber surgical gloves http://infostore.saiglobal.com/store/Details.aspx?ProductID=1742680 Accessed 4-12-15
2. ASTM 3577:2009 Standard Specification for Rubber Surgical Gloves http://www.astm.org/Standards/D3577.html Accessed 4-12-15
3. EN 455 Part 1: 2000 Medical Gloves for single use http://ec.europa.eu/growth/single-market/european-standards/harmonised-standards/me dical-devices/index_en.htm Accessed 4-12-15
4. ISO 10282:2014 Single-use sterile rubber surgical gloves http://www.iso.org/iso/home/store/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=63706 Accessed 4-12-15
5. JIS T 9107:2005 Single-use Sterile Surgical Rubber Gloves http://infostore.saiglobal.com/store/Details.aspx?ProductID=800132 Accessed 4-12-15</sup>