Watson Blog
Work Armour: ProTech Rebranded
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This past year Watson Gloves rebranded our line of performance gloves. What was ProTech is now Work Armour. You’ve seen performance gloves out in the world, not the sloppy work glove of old but new form fitting gloves. Made with bright color trim and extras such as gel padding in the palm or heavy duty rubber protective patches on the fingers or knuckles to protect your hands against hard impact or abrasion injuries. Under this brand are both winter lined and unlined styles of gloves, made with fit and protection in mind. Like all Watson Gloves the Work Armour styles all have their own names such as Extreme, Daytona, Wingman, Drill Sergeant and the made in Canada best seller Storm Trooper, to name a few.
Our Work Armour performance gloves are made to fit “like a glove” and to achieve this we added spandex to a number to styles. When a glove is made with multiple materials (leather, neoprene, spandex, mesh, microfibre, etc) the designer has more flexibility to do what’s needed to make it the best. Design is done with an end goal in mind. What sport or occupation are the gloves to be worn for? What are the sport or job hazards? What potential injuries could occur? Where are the critical wear areas? Once we answer these questions our design team can begin. Often the process is begun because of need expressed by one of our customers. Our job is to listen.
We then get sample(s) made and have the customer try them out. There is no substitute for actual wear & tear on the job. We want our customer to wear a pair at work or wear them while doing the sport they are designed for. Only then will we know what to improve. What is the glove lacking? What areas could we improve upon? What could WE do better to make this a glove you want to wear? Let us know, we want to hear what you have to say!
The Work Armour series of gloves is the result of years of development and we’re proud to offer them to you. Try a pair on! Your hands will thank you.
Frostbite – A Cold Weather Hazard
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We’re now deep into the harsh winter months and in some parts of Canada, its frickin’ cold. One of the health hazards of cold weather is frost bite and the fingers and hands are extremely susceptible to it. This is because blood vessels farthest from the heart constrict in cold weather to conserve blood for major organs. Less oxygen reaches the fingers, so cells in the tissue death begin to die. This can lead to gangrene. Nasty stuff!
What’s the number one way to prevent frostbite? WEAR GLOVES! Or, better yet, wear mittens. Watson Gloves created a couple of mittens designed for extremely cold conditions. The #9302 and #9303 are part of our Expedition North series. Both mitts are treated with water-resistant Water-Off. Made right in our very own Burnaby factory, this series contains various mittens in two different styles: a traditional mitt or 1 finger style (index finger is on its own for dexterity and the other 3 fingers are together). As stated above, mitt style gloves keep your fingers together and therefore warmer. Whether you’re going to be in just cold, or cold and wet conditions, protect yourself with Expedition North gloves.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/75838-finger-frostbite-signs/#ixzz2Jfpnyalm
Hand Injuries on the Job
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It’s a fact that’s hard to believe but there are 500,000 hand injuries in Canada every year*. Our hands are extremely vulnerable to injury because we constantly use them to hold, twist, turn, lift, grasp, push, pull, manipulate and touch. Hand injuries account for almost 1/3 of work place injuries. It’s in your best interests to protect yourself and your employees from hand injuries because the loss of productivity and employee down time is hard on the bottom line.
At Watson Gloves, it’s our job to help you protect your hands. You can do that by wearing gloves. They can’t be just any gloves though. There are a number of factors to take into consideration and that’s where we, the Glove Experts, can help you choose the right style and size.
Things to Consider:
Size – if they’re too big and sloppy they could actually do more harm than good. For example, they could get caught in machinery. If they’re too small you won’t have the dexterity that is needed to perform tasks that require small motor control.
Heat & Cold – do you need to protect yourself from the elements? If you’re working outside in -30 degrees you will need gloves to keep your hands warm. Conversely, if you’re working around hot ovens you need to protect your hands from burns.
Cut Protection – are you working in a job where there is a danger of getting cut or punctured? If so, you need gloves with cut protection. There are different levels and they are graded and tested by professionals so you can be sure you are getting the cut protection you need.
Chemical Hazards – if you’re working with or around inks, dyes, cleaners, plant and animal oils, degreasers or chemicals then you are susceptible to these chemical leeching into your skin or even burning you. With gloves you can avoid these injuries but you’ve got to make sure you have the right gloves, made from materials that will protect you from chemical hazards. We have chemical charts that we use to make sure you’re getting the right gloves.
Abrasions – Cuts and scrapes are painful and often unnecessary. If you’re wearing gloves then your skin can be protected from most of these.
Long Term Stress & Fatigue Injuries – a repetitive job can often mean long term damage due to performing the same action again and again. Gloves with extra padding and support in the right areas can help you avoid these types of injuries.
Let us help you protect yourself and your employees. We can help you pick out the right glove so you and your employees don’t become one of those 500,000 hand injury statistics.
*Statistics taken from http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/
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