Gloves for Critical Environment Use

All Safety Products can help you select the right type of hand protection for use in high-tech production Critical Environment (CE) use focusing on suitability to the task, performance, cost efficiency and quality construction. The glove must satisfy all these criteria.
All Safety Products distributes a complete range of gloves for Critical Environment use made of different materials and with varying levels of protection:

• Latex
• Nitrile
• Sterile Nitrile
• Vinyl

In a critical environment, most contaminants that end up in direct contact with product materials are generated or conveyed by workers. Critical Environment gloves that are in line with federal industry specifications and process-specific procedures are crucial to the integrity of the product and to its performance. To defend against all possible contaminants then, critical environment gloves must be matched carefully to tasks and risks.
Cut-resistant products can diminish the severity of possible cuts from sharp instruments and components. Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) gloves prevent ESD events that damage product. ESD gloves can replace grounding straps in some settings.
Possible risks involved in Hand Protection consideration in critical environments include:

• Contaminants – pose risk to product, profits, workers
• Workers – pose risk to product and processes while at risk from contaminants, dangerous environments and equipment, CE precautions
• Product – at risk from workers and a risk then to profits
• Profits – at risk from unmarketable product, lost time, worker liability claims, regulatory fines

These ‘risks to’ and ‘risks from’ are greatly reduced with the use of the proper glove.
Important Critical Environment Industry Links

• ASTM American Society for Testing Materials - www.astm.org
• ESDA Electrostatic Discharge Association – www.eosesd.org
• IEC International Electrotechnical Commission - www.iec.ch
• SEMI Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International - www.semi.org

To ensure you are meeting OSHA requirements and other applicable safety standards and practices, it is best to consult with a professional safety consultant (www.aiha.org) or call your local OSHA area office or your state OSHA Consultation Services for their interpretation of your situation.