When is a Safety Glove Not a Safety Glove

If you procure personal protective equipment (PPE) and safety products this post is an urgent call to action.

Every employer shall ensure that suitable personal protective equipment is provided to employees who may be exposed to a risk to their health or safety while at work and that an assessment is made to determine whether the personal protective equipment intended to be provided is suitable.

Yet a recent and shocking revelation from the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) has shown that 90% of PPE from non-registered providers failed to meet the necessary criteria with seven test results still pending. Even more concerning is the fact that many of these substandard products are still available for purchase, placing unsuspecting users at significant risk.

Among the worst offenders?
Safety gloves, with a staggering 95% failure rate.

To ourselves, this alarming statistic must beg the question: When is a safety glove not a safety glove?

The answer is simple-when it doesn’t provide the level of protection you think it does.

Quantity over Quality

The assumption that all gloves labelled "safety gloves" can meet industry standards is a dangerous misconception. Many of the substandard imports now flooding the UK market fail product claims for cut protection, abrasion resistance, and puncture resistance, leaving wearers exposed to injury.

When it comes to workplace safety, opting for a cheaper “safety” glove that doesn’t perform as advertised isn’t just a waste of money; it’s a direct threat to a worker’s health and well-being.

Contact us for a site survey and we'll help you select the right glove for the right job! Call our team on 01443 741 999 or email sales@pksafetyuk.com

Your Assurance of Safety

The BSIF’s latest findings reinforce the importance of sourcing PPE from reputable, registered suppliers. While the failure rate of non-member suppliers was 95%, BSIF-registered suppliers showed an impressive compliance rate of 86% of tested products passing rigorous standards. One simple way to ensure that your gloves truly offer the protection they claim is to ask your supplier / manufacturer if they are BSIF Registered Safety Supplier.

This mark of credibility guarantees that the PPE meets stringent UK safety regulations, including the correct UKCA and CE markings.

We hope you found this post informative, and if you have any further questions please don't hesitate to contact us.

Author: Len Bridgeman