Working Hands in Hard Conditions
Unless you’re in high-risk spaces every day, hand protection isn’t always top-of-mind. But for employees in more dangerous careers, they’re gripping, lifting, welding, digging, cutting, and handling all kinds of equipment that can have devastating effects if used incorrectly or without protection.
The Cost of Workplace Hand Injuries
Cuts from sharp metal, punctures from exposed nails, burns from hot surfaces, and chemical exposure are all common hazards that can sideline workers and slow down operations. Even if an employee is wearing gloves, an accident with a piece of equipment can be catastrophic if the gloves aren’t designed for a high enough level of risk.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, hand injuries are among the most common workplace injuries, and result in lost workdays for recovery time, medical treatment, or reassignment to light duty. Many of these injuries are preventable with the right glove made with the right material.
With hand protection so critical, advancements in glove material technology are helping give workers greater peace of mind with specific capabilities like cut, tear, abrasion, and fire resistance, along with protection from chemicals and caustic agents.
Glove Material is the First Defense
A glove’s level of protection is only as good as the material it’s made with. While traditional materials like cowhide or canvas have long been used in gloves for heavy-duty jobs, they’re often outperformed by newer, engineered fabrics designed to take on serious risks.
Let’s take a look at how material innovation is helping glove manufacturers better protect working hands in harsh conditions:
- Cut Resistance: Blocking Blades and Edges
Sharp tools, metal sheeting, and broken glass are everyday hazards in many industrial and construction environments. Traditional gloves can tear easily, exposing skin to lacerations.
Engineered suede materials like AX Cutora™ are designed to resist cuts without compromising flexibility. By incorporating high-strength fibers into a soft, form-fitting suede base, these materials help prevent injuries while allowing the fine motor control workers need.
- Tear Resistance: Holding Up to the Pull
When gloves rip or tear, it’s not just an inconvenience, it’s a hazard. Once compromised, gloves can no longer protect workers from injury, and torn seams can lead to snags in machinery, missed safety protocols, or expose the hand to cuts or other injuries.
Materials like AX Res-Q, a tear-resistant woven, are purpose-built for long-term durability under mechanical stress. Whatever level of tension is applied, Res-Q helps maintain structural integrity and glove lifespan.
- Abrasion Resistance: Fighting Against Friction
Friction from ropes, cables, tools, or rough surfaces wears down glove materials over time. As gloves weaken, they become more likely to fail just when workers need protection most.
AX 10W is an abrasion-resistant suede developed to withstand repeated rubbing and scraping. It provides a tough outer layer that defends against daily wear and tear—critical for material handlers, warehouse workers, and tradespeople in constant contact with rough surfaces and tools.
- Heat and Flame Resistance: Withstanding Burn Hazards
For welders, emergency responders, and workers in manufacturing environments, high heat and open flames pose a serious risk, and protective gloves are a big part of keeping workers safe. Gloves need to resist ignition, insulate against heat, and still provide enough dexterity for safe tool handling.
Inherently flame-resistant materials like AX Medora™ FR are designed for just this challenge. Unlike chemically treated fabrics, Medora won’t degrade or lose FR properties over time, making it a more reliable option for job sites where heat is an everyday reality.
- Chemical and Oil Resistance: Protection in Slick Situations
In the oil and gas industries, or in automotive work and chemical handling, glove materials must repel liquids and resist chemical penetration to keep skin protected. A glove that absorbs and soaks through with oil or solvents becomes slippery, uncomfortable, and dangerous.
Grain-style synthetics like AX SubZero or AX G-Series offer chemical resistance while maintaining grip and durability. These types of materials are especially suited for environments where exposure to fuel, grease, and harmful cleaning agents is frequent and unavoidable.
The Best Protection Requires the Best Materials
Glove design is about more than just shape and stitching—it starts with the material. When gloves are built from performance-engineered materials tailored to job-specific risks, they become powerful tools in long-term injury prevention. The right combination of cut resistance, durability, dexterity, and environmental protection can drastically reduce hand injuries across a wide range of industries.
There’s no single glove that protects against every hazard, but there is a material that can make a pair of gloves effective in the harshest conditions. If your company is manufacturing gloves for industries that carry a high level of risk, such as for electricians, oilfield workers, construction crews, or fire service professionals, putting the right materials into your glove design helps you make safer, smarter product decisions.
Your customers do the hard work, and your gloves should provide the protection needed to get the job done right.
Our teams work closely with brands and manufacturers to select the right material for specific performance needs.
Reach out to our team to learn more about how we help manufacturers improve glove safety for working hands in harsh conditions.