There’s more to picking out the right cut-resistant glove than just choosing the one with the highest cut protection; different jobs require certain types of protection, and too much protection can hinder performance. It’s important to understand the cut protection classifications to determine which glove is right for each task. Ansell’s Hyflex® Ultra-Lightweight Portfolio makes it easy, offering a perfect blend of protection, performance, and comfort.
Understanding the Levels of Cut-Resistant Gloves
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) establishes a National Standard for Hand Protection Classification to help workers select adequate hand protection based on their tasks.
The ANSI/ISEA 105-2024 standard introduces a unified icon that brings together the ratings for cut, abrasion, and puncture resistance, streamlining the glove selection process. A key addition to the icon is the inclusion of the puncture rating, which was formerly only covered by the EN388 Standard. The new compact pentagon design consolidates all three resistance levels, making it quicker and easier to assess glove protection.
To further simplify the selection process, here’s a closer look at the updated standards, now featuring the inclusion of the puncture rating:
| ANSI/ISEA 105-2024 Cut Standard | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cut Level Rating | Resistance (Grams) | Performance Level |
| A1 | >200 | Very Low |
| A2 | >500 | Low |
| A3 | >1,000 | Moderate |
| A4 | >1,500 | Moderate to High |
| A5 | >2,200 | High |
| A6 | >3,000 | High to Very High |
| A7 | >4,000 | Very High |
| A8 | >6,000 | Very High to Extreme |
| A9 | >6,000 | Extreme |
| ANSI/ISEA 105-2024 Puncture Standard | ||
|---|---|---|
| Puncture Level Rating | Force Needed to Puncture (Newtons) | Performance Level |
| 1 | >10 | Very Low |
| 2 | >20 | Low to Moderate |
| 3 | >60 | Moderate to High |
| 4 | >100 | High to Very High |
| 5 | >150 | Extreme |
| ANSI/ISEA 105-2024 Abrasion Standard | ||
|---|---|---|
| Abrasion Level Rating | Abrasion Cycles to Fail | Performance Level |
| 0 | < /> | Very Low |
| 1 | ≤100 | Low |
| 2 | ≤500 | Moderate |
| 3 | ≤1,000 | High |
| 4 | ≤3,000 | Very High |
| 5 | ≤10,000 | Extreme |
| 6 | ≥20,000 | Extreme |
Choosing the Right Cut Level for Optimal Safety and Efficiency:
- Under-protection: Gloves with too low a cut level expose workers to preventable injuries.
- Over-protection: Higher cut-level gloves may hinder comfort and dexterity, especially in low-risk tasks. For example, using an ANSI 9 glove in a warehousing role often results in unnecessary bulk, lowering productivity.
The Solution – Introducing the Hyflex® Ultra-Lightweight Portfolio
The right PPE provides optimal protection without sacrificing comfort or dexterity, empowering workers to perform confidently in any environment. Our innovative portfolio, designed with ultra-lightweight materials, ensures maximum comfort and performance while maintaining essential protection.
Understanding the ANSI/ISEA 105:2024 standards helps you make the right decisions on hand protection, ensuring the appropriate level of resistance for every task. Selecting the right PPE enhances both safety and efficiency, equipping workers to perform their best.
Introducing our thinnest and lightest family of HyFlex® cut gloves yet! This portfolio offers 2-12x greater cut protection while being 20% lighter and maintaining comfort levels. Explore our Hyflex® Ultra-Lightweight line today and equip your team with the PPE they deserve.
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Each Ansell Guardian Assessment is a unique, data-driven safety solution tailored specifically to your needs. Backed by insights from over 600 safety experts and 13,000+ assessments conducted since 2014, each evaluation provides customized recommendations to elevate hand protection. Guardian helps reduce injuries, lowers protection costs, boosts compliance, and simplify your PPE portfolio. An Ansell Guardian assessment is the best way to ensure the safety of you and your employees.
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