Protect Your Hands Protect Your Home Mark D. Sheperdigian, BCE Rose Pest Solutions Troy, MI

Protect Your Hands!

Gloves! Gloves protect our hands from: Injury Toxic chemicals Pathogens

Gloves! Gloves provide comfort that will allow us to work more efficiently and effectively: In harsh conditions With fewer breaks Reduced fumbles, drops, and stoppages

Gloves! Gloves keep us in compliance with: FIFRA (label directions) OSHA

OSHA Says: User Assessment of Workplace Hazard OSHA is unaware of any gloves that provide protection against all potential hand hazards, and commonly available glove materials provide only limited protection against many chemicals. Therefore, it is important to select the most appropriate glove for a particular application and to determine how long it can be worn, and whether it can be reused. -29 CFR 1915 non-mandatory guidelines for Hazard Assessment-

OSHA Says: User Assessment of Workplace Hazard You as the user, assess each job class for hazards and choose the gloves for your people accordingly. Take into account the potential hazards and the nature of the protection needed.

Coated Gloves Protection from cuts & abrasions Improved grip Work in dirty environments without “trying to keep clean” Available as durable or disposable

Cut Resistant Gloves Kevlar® or Kevlar® blend Dipped or un-dipped Variety of prices & quality Some very expensive, very high performance models are available

Insulated loves For work in the cold Water proof models are available

General Work Gloves For use with power tools For general use Many models available

If it Doesn’t Fit, You Must Quit! …and some gloves that fit! Ill-fitting gloves are less likely to be worn More likely to cause fumbles May cause blisters

Gloves are sized by measuring around the palm of your dominant hand

Disposable vs. Durable Around pathogens, disposables are preferable Learn to remove contaminated gloves without contacting the contaminated outer surfaces of the gloves In dirty environments, durable is preferable

Disposable Gloves 3 mil gloves are designed for examination and other light duty tasks. 5 mil gloves will resist tearing even when working with moderately sharp edges such as multiple-catch rodent devices

3 mil disposable gloves will fail If the gloves fail during the job, you lose more than just the cost of the glove Loss of protection Loss of comfort Loss of compliance

Into the swamp…

Barrier Laminate Gloves Thin foil similar to Mylar balloons Best for protection from the widest variety of toxic chemicals Short usable life maybe only single use or Meant to be used as a liner for other gloves Expensive for a short-lived glove Excessive protection for the hazards a technician normally encounters

Butyl Rubber A synthetic polymer Good for acetone Butyl dipped cloth gloves are available Expensive much more so than 14 mil Nitrile May be appropriate for mixing & loading operations and power sprayers

Nitrile Synthetic latex for those allergic to latex Available in disposable and durable Durable are ~ 14 mil used for mixing/loading and power spray Used for dirty kitchens and other environments Disposable are ~ 3-5 mil Used for application Used for rodent control

Nitrile Disposable nitrile gloves of 3 mils are designed for examination and break too easily for use in the field 5 mil gloves provide sufficient protection and are worth the extra expense

Natural Rubber/Latex Made from natural rubber Very inexpensive Some people are allergic to latex Not durable enough for field use

Viton® Trademarked brand of BASF Good for most chemicals NOT good for acetone. Very expensive

The label may specify which gloves are to be used. May specify the glove material May specify the Category

Original Label PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) Mixers, loaders, applicators, and other handlers must wear the following: Long sleeved shirt, long pants, chemical-resistant gloves made of barrier laminate or Viton (selection category G), and shoes and socks.

Category G

Current Label at BackedbyBayer.com PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) Mixers, loaders, applicators, and other handlers must wear the following: Long sleeved shirt, long pants, chemical-resistant gloves (such as those made out of Barrier Laminate, Nitrile Rubber, Neoprene Rubber, or Viton, Selection Category E), and shoes and socks.

Category E

Category B

Resources University of Nebraska Lincoln; Institute of Agriculture & Natural Resources http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=1209 EPA Label Review Manual http://www.epa.gov/oppfead1/labeling/lrm/ OSHA Personal Protective Equipment – Hand Protection https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9788 OSHA Personal Protective Equipment https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3151.pdf