Disposable Glove standard in SLS
(Approved 9/2/16 by SRC)
This document sets out the standard for single use, disposable gloves within SLS.
Background
Disposable gloves are used routinely throughout SLS by laboratory-based workers. Gloves are used to:
- Protect the worker
- Protect the samples being handled
- Do both the above at the same time
Any disposable glove offers limited protection to the worker and should only be considered to give "splash protection".
Glove Quality
Disposable gloves are manufactured to differing qualities and standards. Two important standards are:
- EN374 (part 2): "freedom from pinholes" = "AQL score"
- EN374 (part 3): "chemical permeation" = "Break-through times"
EN374-2 defines two levels of performance (AQL), 1.5 and 0.65. The lower value (0.65) is a better standard and represents less holes in gloves. A good range of disposable gloves achieve AQL 0.65 and this is therefore the minimum value accepted for gloves used within SLS.
EN374-3 defines a range of chemical breakthrough times that must be exceeded for a glove to pass. Due to limitations of disposable gloves, no disposable glove passes EN374-3. All disposable gloves are therefore considered to offer splash protection only.
Disposable gloves must be changed regularly and immediately any contamination with harmful agents are known or suspected.
Staff working with especially harmful agents are required to identify a suitable glove (not necessarily disposable) prior to use.
Special Gloves
In some circumstances there is a need for staff to use a particular disposable glove type (e.g. due to allergic reaction). Not all these gloves will necessarily meet the standard proposed for disposable gloves.
In these cases, staff should contact the SLS-Safety team and will be made aware of particular glove limitations as part of dealing with their special need.