If your business revolves around anything related to chemicals, you would know the importance of chemical protective gloves.
More than 1000 companies globally ranging from small businesses to large multinational companies use chemical protective gloves for various purposes from industrial work to manufacturing in medical, and laboratory research centers. In a research, it was estimated that more than 500 chemical protective gloves companies harbor in the United States alone. But what does this means from a business perspective?
Is it going to be improved sales, increased investment opportunities, a robust market, or all of them? Well, let’s find out about the chemical protective gloves industry.
What are Chemical Protective Gloves?
Chemical protective gloves are designed and manufactured to confer protection from any hazardous chemical substances. The gloves are produced from chemical-resistant materials, namely rubber polymers, and are strategically designed to act as a barrier between the users and the chemicals they come into contact with.
While not all rubber polymers can be manufactured into chemical protective gloves, they have to meet specific standards of safety such as EN 374. The gloves should be thoroughly inspected for any signs of damage, wear and tear damages before each use and must be replaced with new ones when necessary.
But with this another question arises, are chemical-resistant gloves and chemical protective gloves the same?
Even though chemical-resistant gloves and chemical protective gloves are often interchanged, they are not exactly the same.
Chemical-resistant gloves are made to safeguard against chemical spills, splashes, and other potential dangers. Conversely, chemical protective gloves are made to protect against coming into contact with dangerous chemicals and chemical vapors.
Types ofChemical Protective Gloves
Chemical protective gloves are available in an array of varieties, each of which is intended to guard against a particular class of chemicals. Natural rubber latex gloves, neoprene gloves, nitrile gloves, fluorocarbon (Viton) gloves, and various kinds of plastic gloves are among the most popular kinds of chemical protective gloves. Gloves made of cotton, coated cloth, leather, latex, rubber, plastic, Kevlar, and butyl rubber are also frequently used as chemical protection. Also, there are certain gloves designed to be impact- and vibration-resistant that offer increased protection. The type of chemical, the temperature extremes, and the length of exposure should all be taken into account when choosing chemical protection gloves, as they will all have an impact on the gloves’ efficacy.
According to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, in 2022, more than 10% of occupational hazards will lead to skin cancer, especially in Europe, and this number is just an abbreviation of the anticipated escalation. Hence it is becoming increasingly critical to use quality chemical protective gloves.
Decoding the Missing Link between Skin cancer and Occupational Hazards in Europe
Naturally, the question loops around Europe as to why there is a greater inclination of skin cancer related to occupational hazards pertaining to the region.
On account of the growing adoption of good manufacturing practices (GMP) in virtually all industries, which has expanded the sales potential for chemical protective glove makers, the Europe area currently holds the largest share of the global market for chemical protective gloves. The market is expanding as a result of stringent government regulations in Europe mandating the use of chemically treated protective gloves in a variety of end-use sectors to lessen workplace hazards. The necessity for chemically protective gloves is further fueled by the fact that Germany is a hub for significant automobile producers and other manufacturing businesses.
However, this doesn’t means that North America is lagging behind, the North America region is anticipated to increase over the coming years due to rising R&D initiatives and rising demand for heavy-duty latex and neoprene applications.
Conclusion
The chemical protective gloves industry is a robustly growing sector projected to have a compound annual growth of 6.4%. The market is anticipated to expand owing to increasing awareness about safety standards, rising governmental rules and regulations, and the introduction of smart advanced technologies for high-quality protective gloves.