Waste handling is the one sector where the operator cannot see the hazard before touching it. Mixed streams hide broken glass, needles, metal offcuts and chemical residues, so the glove has to assume the worst on every grab.
Needles, wire, nails and shards buried in mixed waste puncture rather than slice, and a high cut letter does not predict puncture resistance. Position 4 of the EN 388 code is the puncture number, and for sorting line work it deserves more weight than position 5.
Broken glass and torn can and tin edges dominate the cut injuries on picking lines and collection rounds. Unlike a food plant blade injury the contact is unplanned and often on the palm and fingertip, so cut protection needs to cover the whole grip surface.
Household and commercial streams carry residual cleaners, solvents, paint, battery acid and unidentified liquids in part filled containers. Where liquids are handled deliberately, an EN ISO 374 certified glove is required, and a coated handling glove is not a substitute.
Organic waste, medical waste in the wrong stream and standing leachate all present contamination risk. Liquid tight construction matters, and so does a glove that can be decontaminated or is cheap enough to change out often.
Change out frequency is part of the specification here. A contaminated glove worn for another week transfers the hazard rather than containing it.
No. Cut and puncture are tested separately under EN 388 and a glove can score highly on cut while performing poorly against a needle. Read position 4 of the code and treat needle risk as a puncture problem, not a cut problem.
Puncture resistance, a liquid tight palm and enough dexterity to sort at line speed. Broken glass and hidden sharps are the dominant hazards and the operator has no warning before contact.
As soon as the palm is punctured, split or contaminated with an unidentified liquid. A damaged glove in this sector holds the contaminant against the skin, so frequent replacement is part of the control, not an overhead.
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