Gloves are an essential item to any lab, but how do you choose the right ones? Gloves in the lab not only have to protect the lab worker’s hands from harmful chemicals, but they also need to not harm the wearers. Each type of glove has their strengths and weaknesses. The right glove depends on the type of lab work being done. There are low, medium, and high risk lab work. Low risk lab work involves no blood or bodily fluid, medium risk lab work involves blood and bodily fluid, and high risk lab work involves harmful chemicals and diseases such as HIV. From latex gloves to nitrile gloves, here’s how to pick the right gloves for your lab.
Knowing the Different Options
To pick to right glove, you must know which options are out there. Latex gloves are a common choice of glove because they can be used in low, medium, and high risk labs. Latex gloves are known for a snug and comfortable fit, while providing strength and barrier protection. They are also fairly cheap in comparison to their alternatives, nitrile gloves. These gloves are a popular alternative to latex gloves because they are known for being tear and chemical resistant. Neoprene gloves are another alternative to latex gloves. They feel similar to latex gloves but tend to be more expensive. Vinyl gloves are an economical alternative to latex gloves. However, vinyl gloves are more susceptible to tears and breakage which makes them less than ideal for medium or high risk labs. However, vinyl gloves are a good latex alternative for low risk lab work. All of these gloves have their own strengths and weaknesses. The right gloves depend on the substances that are being worked with.
Substances
To pick the right gloves, you must assess which substances will be involved in your lab work. The substances determine which kinds of gloves you can wear and eliminates others that simply won’t do. Lab work that does not involve blood or bodily fluid contact are considered low risk labs. Vinyl or latex gloves are good options for these sorts of labs. Labs that involve blood or bodily fluid are considered medium risk labs. Latex, neoprene, or nitrile gloves are good options for these sorts of labs. They are also durable enough to be used in high risk labs that involve infectious diseases such as HIV or labs that involve harmful chemicals. Most gloves are durable enough to be used in low, medium, and high risk labs, however, latex and nitrile gloves tend to be the most popular choices.
Latex gloves were the staple gloves in labs for several years. However, with the heightened awareness of latex-allergies, there is now more of a variety to choose from when choosing gloves for your lab. Latex gloves can be used for almost any type of lab, but can do more harm than good if any users have a latex allergy. Knowing if any of the people participating in the lab work have allergies is crucial to picking the right glove for lab work. If anyone in the lab has latex-allergies, there are several alternatives. Vinyl gloves can be used as an alternative to latex gloves in low-risk labs and neoprene and nitrile gloves can be used as an alternative to latex gloves in low, medium, and high risk labs.
Picking the right gloves is crucial to keeping lab workers safe. In order to pick the right gloves for lab work, you must know the different glove options, keep in mind which substances are going to be used in the lab, and know if any latex-allergies are present.