ANSI/ISEA 138 – The Impact-Resistant Gloves Standard and What You Need to Know in 2022
Your hands are extremely important – they’re the most essential tool on the worksite but also susceptible to accidents and injuries. Safety standards and guidelines such as ANSI/ISEA 138 are put in place to help combat hand injuries and improve working conditions.
A study by the International Association of Drilling Contractors has shown that finger injuries account for a third of all injuries and about 20 percent of lost-time injuries. When including hand and wrist injuries, the amount of lost-time injuries combined by the three rise to 41 percent! Impact-related injuries can range from bruising, finger pinching, and bone breakage and fractures. And many industries, such as oil and gas, construction, mining, manufacturing, and transportation, need back-of-hand impact protection to prevent such injuries.
What is the American National Standard for Performance and Classification for Impact-Resistant Hand Protection (ANSI/ISEA 138)?
ANSI/ISEA 138 is the industry standard for impact-resistant gloves, which was introduced in 2019, aimed to help workers make a more informed decision on which glove to choose based on the level of impact protection the glove provides. The higher the number, the higher the protection level, which starts at 1 and goes up to 3. With this standard, gloves now undergo stringent testing in a third-party lab that must meet the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standard. So when you’re buying your next ANSI/ISEA 138-tested Watson glove, you know with 100% confidence that the glove you choose is the right one for your job.
Click here to watch our webinar to learn more about the ANSI/ISEA 138 impact standard.
Impact Standards Infographic. Click for larger size.
|
Performance level |
Mean (kN) |
All impact (kN) |
Increasing Protection |
|
3 |
≤ 4 |
≤ 5 |
|
|
2 |
≤ 6.5 |
≤ 8.1 |
|
|
1 |
≤ 9 |
<11.3 |
ANSI/ISEA 138 Impact Standards
- Assessment of performance: Peak Transmitted force
- Testing is done by an independent ISA T7025 Lab
- Fingers and knuckles are tested
- Lowest performing areas define performance
- 3 performance levels (higher the level indicates a greater degree of protection)
Testing Methodology
- Flat 80mm diameter striking face
- Palm side of glove removed
- Impact locations marked on glove
- Samples mounted centrally on hemispherical (100mm radius) anvil
- 2.5kg mass dropped with an impact energy of 5J
- Peak transmitted force recorded by force transducer beneath anvil
- Lower transmitted force = greater degree of protection and a higher performance level
- Impact test performed on knuckles and fingers separately
Choosing the Right Protection
Finding and choosing ANSI/ISEA 138-compliant gloves is now made easier than ever before. Search for the “impact resistant” category on the Home or Products page and select which level you need for your job. Now you can browse our selection of impact-resistant gloves right at your fingertips!
You can also find our gloves by clicking on the ANSI/ISEA 138 rating icons below.
ANSI/ISEA 138 RATING 1
Currently no available products.
High Standards Demand High Quality Gloves
Since the roll-out of the standard in 2019, we’ve answered the demands of greater back-of-hand protection by upgrading your favourite industrial gloves with heavy-duty TPR (thermal plastic rubber).
Here's a few highlights for Winter 2022:
If you check out each of the three products, you can see they have a new ANSI/ISEA 138 icon with a rating of 2. All the gloves have heavy-duty TPR protection on the fingers, thumb, knuckles and the back of the hand to provide full dorsal metacarpal protection but also gives you the dexterity and comfort to perform your job without compromising performance. After all, in the work you do, the job’s got to get done – efficiently and safely.
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