Freezer work is a controlled, repeatable cold exposure rather than an occasional one, which makes it easier to specify for. The variables that matter are contact cold, dexterity and how quickly the hand rewarms between entries.
A blast freezer at minus 25 degrees removes heat from the hand steadily, and pickers cycle in and out of it all shift. The first digit of EN 511 covers convective cold, which is the air temperature effect, and it is the digit that governs how long a picker can work before rewarming.
Holding frozen product, steel racking and trolley handles conducts heat out of the hand far faster than cold air does. That is the second EN 511 digit, and for picking work it is usually the more important of the two because the hand is in contact almost continuously.
Condensation on entry, defrost cycles and melting product leave gloves damp. A damp liner loses most of its insulation value, which is why the third EN 511 digit, water permeability, matters even indoors, and why gloves need rotating out to dry.
Cases, cartons and roll cages still have to be gripped, and cold stiffened hands grip badly. Insulation that kills dexterity leads to gloves coming off inside the freezer, which is the worst outcome available.
Issue two pairs per operator so a damp pair can dry between shifts. Insulation performance depends entirely on the liner being dry at the start of the entry.
The first is convective cold, the insulating performance against cold air, rated 0 to 4. The second is contact cold, the thermal resistance when holding a cold object, rated 0 to 4. The third is water permeability, 0 or 1, where 1 means no water penetration in the test.
Contact cold, the second digit. Freezer pickers hold cold product, steel racking and trolley handles almost continuously, and conduction removes heat from the hand much faster than cold air does.
Use a close fitting glove with an efficient liner rather than a bulky one, keep it dry, and plan rewarming breaks. Warm hands stay dexterous, so managing exposure time is often more effective than adding thickness.
Send the tasks, sizes and quantities you need and we will come back with a written quotation. Contact Knight Safety Gear.