Inspect Your Lineman Gloves Daily

Our safety message for this week is to remember to “Inspect Your Lineman Gloves Weekly” especially after any incident suspected of causing damage. This is a safety message that we have seen before and will see again and again as it is one of the most important pieces of PPE that we carry with us to work every day! Please take a couple of minutes to inspect your gloves and be safe! Attached you will find inspection and care instructions for your lineman gloves. Let’s finish off the year safely and continue to provide our client with quality inspections. Have a great week!

INSPECTION BEFORE USE

Daily visual inspection: Inspect rubber-insulating gloves for damage prior to use on a daily basis and after any incident suspected of causing damage. Look for signs of physical damage (punctures, cuts, nicks, cracks, scratches and abrasions), chemical deterioration (swelling, softness, hardening, and stickiness), ozone deterioration, and other irregularities.

Daily air-testing: Air-expand Type I gloves no more than twice their normal size. Expansion stretches the rubber, making cuts, ozone damage and abrasions easy to detect. Listen for escaping air to detect holes. If a portable inflator is unavailable, manually inflate the glove by rolling the cuff tightly to trap air inside; then apply pressure to areas of the glove to listen for escaping air. Repeat procedure with glove turned inside out. More detailed inspection procedures and defect illustrations are described in ASTM F1236 (Standard Guide for Visual Inspection of Electrical Protective Rubber Products).

CARE

Rubber-insulating gloves can be damaged by many chemicals, especially petroleum-based products (oils, gasoline, and hydraulic fluid) solvents, hand creams, pastes and salves. If any rubber glove is exposed to chemical contaminants or suspected of any other physical damage, it should be cleaned, inspected, and electrically re-tested. The first sign of chemical exposure is swelling in the area of contamination.

CLEANING & STORAGE

To clean rubber-insulating gloves, wash with a mild soap and rinse thoroughly with water. Only use soapy water or denatured alcohol to clean label area. Air-dry the glove at less than 120° F (49° C) away from direct sunlight and sources of ozone or high heat.

Store dry rubber gloves in a protective bag when not in use, away from excessive heat and direct sunlight. Do not store gloves folded, creased, inside out, compressed or in any manner that will cause stretching or compression.