Gloves with moulded thermoplastic rubber guards across the back of the hand, fingers and thumb, carrying the EN 388 impact P designation for work around pinch points, heavy components and confined structures.
Impact injuries to the back of the hand are among the most common and most avoidable injuries on heavy sites. The hand is trapped, struck or crushed against structure while the palm is doing something else entirely. A cut resistant glove does nothing about this, because the protection is in the wrong place.
The sixth character in the EN 388:2016+A1:2018 marking is reserved for impact. A glove either carries a P there or the position is left blank. There are no levels. Impact performance is assessed using the method set out in EN 13594, the motorcyclist glove standard, in which a striker delivers a controlled blow to the protector and the force transmitted through it is measured. To claim the P, the mean transmitted force must stay below the permitted threshold, and no single strike may exceed the higher single value limit.
Because it is a pass or fail marking, two gloves with a P are not necessarily equal. Look at the coverage as well as the marking. A protector that stops at the knuckles leaves the fingers and the thumb, which is where a large share of pinch injuries occur.
Protection is moulded thermoplastic rubber, usually referred to as TPR, bonded or stitched to the back of the glove. Good construction shows up in three details.
Adding a cut resistant liner underneath the TPR raises the price and the weight of the glove. That is money well spent where sharp edges are genuinely present, such as steel handling, plate work or salvage. It is money wasted where the hazard is purely blunt, for example pipe handling, drum work and general rigging on smooth stock. Run a short task assessment before defaulting to the highest specification in both directions. Buying an impact plus level F glove for a purely blunt hazard commits you to a heavier glove and a higher unit cost with no measurable reduction in injury.
Impact gloves are inherently bulkier, so fit matters more than usual. A glove that is too large slides on the hand and the protectors no longer sit over the joints they are meant to cover. Check that the pads still line up when the hand is closed around a tool, not just when the hand is flat.
The sixth character of the EN 388:2016+A1:2018 code covers impact. A P means the glove was tested using the method in EN 13594 and the force transmitted through the back of hand protector stayed within the permitted limits. It is a pass or fail marking, so there are no impact levels.
No. The two are independent. Impact protection sits on the back of the hand, while cut resistance comes from the liner in the palm and fingers. Check the first five characters of the EN 388 code to see what mechanical performance the liner itself offers.
When the assessed hazard is blunt rather than sharp, such as pipe and drum handling, rigging on smooth stock or valve work. Leaving out a high cut liner keeps the glove lighter and less expensive, which improves the chance it is actually worn for the whole shift.
Close enough that the moulded guards stay over the knuckles and finger joints when the hand is closed around a tool. If the glove slides when you make a fist, the protectors are no longer over the bones they are meant to cover, and the marking on the cuff will not help you.
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