Australian / New Zealand Occupational
Protective Glove Standards
AS /NZS 2161.3:1998 (has been adopted from the long standing European Standards EN 388:1994) Protection Against Mechanical Risk
This Standard is applied to protective gloves with regards to physical and mechanical aggressions caused by abrasion, blade cut, tear and puncture. This standard may also be used to determine the impact cut resistance and anti-static nature of the glove product.
The four basic tests that define this standard are:
| Abrasion resistance: | How well can the material of the glove resist exposure to repeated abrasion? |
| Blade cut resistance: | How well can the palm material of the glove resist cutting objects? |
| Tear resistance: | What force is needed to rip glove, by tearing a precut hole in the material of the glove. |
| Puncture resistance: | What force is needed to puncture the palm of the glove with a calibrated spike? |
Gloves are tested for each of these properties and results reported as performance ratings. The higher the rating, the better the glove is with respect to this property. Maximum performance achievable is level 4, except for Cut which reaches a Maximum of 5. Further optional testing of impact cut resistance and anti-static performance may also be performed.
NOTE: There are Glove Standards for Chemical Protection, Heat and Cold Protection, Radioactive & Ionizing Radiation.
As P.I.P (Aust) has focused its range on High Performance general workplace hand protection we are mainly concerned with mechanical & physical stresses as per EN388 Standards above.