October 2019

October 2019 www.pwemag.co.uk Plant & Works Engineering | 51 of this is 4X34E as opposed to the old 4534. Despite this, many employers and employees may not yet be aware of the change to this standard, which transpired following the development of new, high-performance fibres to guard against cuts, and offers a new, higher level cut-resistance rating from A to F rather than the previous one to five. Those who are unaware may still be suffering cut injuries unnecessarily. Technological advances The development of these new materials has already had a huge effect, offering far higher levels of protection than ever before. With the test method enhancing, traditional cut protection technologies have also improved in their performance, but they still do not offer protection from cuts caused by punctures, owing to their knitted design, which allows easy penetration. What is needed is a material that deflects a sharp point away from the hand, fingers, wrist or body. One material that is claimed to offer such protection – SuperFabric (exclusively used by HexArmor gloves), contains tiny guard plates bonded on to the fabric that prevent puncture by blocking or deflecting a sharp point, blade, metal splinter or part of machinery, while remaining breathable and lightweight. HexArmor says that SuperFabric provides between four to six times the cut protection and double the needlestick protection compared to traditional materials on the market. The fabric also works against abrasion with no loss of dexterity and does not degrade over time – another big advantage. In addition, HexArmor comments that gloves with SuperFabric offer a much higher rate of cut, puncture and needlestick resistance than the current European standard in all areas, in both tests and in real life. So using these extremely effective, high-performance gloves is surely a no-brainer to avoid the misery of these easily-preventable injuries. Find out more: www.icheme.org/human-factors MB0103_18 In partnership with Human Factors in Health and Safety A better understanding of human factors – how the people, the job and the organisation interact as a whole – can help drive safety standards and overall business performance. Our modular training programme, Human Factors in Health and Safety , provides the chance to learn more about human factors in the process industries, and how to implement solutions to manage it effectively. The following modules are available: ■ Managing Human Factors ■ Managing Human Failure ■ Strengthening Organisational Performance ■ Human Factors in Design SPECIAL FOCUS Health& Safety