Constructions jobs, weather it be HVAC, plumbing, painting, or building, have many different hazards and one of the most common injuries are hand injuries.  Hand Injuries can be prevented with proper hand protection.  Listed below are the different gloves that can be used to prevent absorption of harmful substances, severe abrasion, severe cuts or lacerations, thermal burns, chemical burns, punctures, and extreme temperatures differences.

Chemical resistant or heavy rubber gloves – wear these when working with substances that may cause skin irritation (an example of this would be a chemical burn).

Electrically Insulated gloves – wear these when working with electrical hazards.

Cut resistant metal mesh or Kevlar gloves – wear these when working with sheet metal, glass, or any material that has the potential to cut, puncture, and tear.

Heavy duty leather or nitrile coated work gloves – wear these when working with and/or carrying blocks, bricks, stones, and concrete.  It is especially important to wear gloves when working with concrete because it can tear and chafe your skin and it’s full of chemicals that can irritate the skin.

Non-slip gripped gloves – wear these when moving or carrying slippery or heavy objects.

Anti-vibration gloves – wear when using tools or equipment that cause shock and vibrations.

Heavily insulated thermal gloves – wear when working in extremely cold temperatures.

Welding or Aluminized heat resistant gloves – wear when welding, using cutting torches, or working with hot materials.

Even though there are many times you should being wearing gloves when working in the construction industry there are also times when you should not wear gloves.  For example, gloves should not be worn when operating machinery or power tools where a risk of entanglement may occur.  Be (think) smart, and evaluate each individual job to determine when hand protection should be worn and when it should be left off.