How to choose disposable gloves for optimal personal protection
When it comes to selecting the right disposable gloves there are a lot of factors to consider.
One of the most important things to think about when choosing your disposable glove is the quality of the glove for the application it’s being used for. Selecting gloves manufactured to an AQL standard significantly enhances personal protection for the glove wearer.
What is AQL?
AQL (Acceptable Quality Level) is a quality standard that is recognized worldwide for measuring the quality of products, including disposable gloves. AQL is used to test the percentage of pinhole defects in disposable gloves through a water weight test. During the water testing process, batches of gloves are checked during manufacturing to see how watertight they are.
The most common AQL standards are 1.5 and 4.0. In industries or jobs where the risk of contact with harmful substances is greater, the AQL rating must be lower. Disposable gloves with a lower AQL rating of 1.5 can safely be used by medical professionals, general pre-hospital, emergency and first aid use. For industrial and domestic jobs like cleaning, garages, dirty factory jobs - gloves with an AQL rating of 4.0 or higher is sufficient.
An AQL of 1.5 means that there are less than 1.5% defects in a batch of gloves (ie for a batch of 100 gloves there would be less than 1.5 gloves with defects in them).
Glove manufacturers are obliged to print the AQL on each box if their gloves are registered for protection against chemicals and micro-organisms. AQL ratings apply to all types of disposable gloves that are made from various materials - including latex, vinyl, and nitrile gloves.
Why is AQL important when choosing a disposable glove?
Glove manufacturers are unable to guarantee ‘zero defects’ during production as there will be gloves that have a percentage of pin hole defects which are hard to detect. This is even the case with rigid quality assurance checks taking place during the production process.
This is where AQL comes in. It makes the process of selecting the right glove for a particular job a lot simpler and less time consuming. When you select gloves based on the AQL standard you also have peace of mind that your workers have the appropriate level of protection for the task or application at hand.
Bastion disposable gloves are certified to 1.5 AQL Standard
Bastion disposable gloves are certified to a 1.5 AQL standard. So this means that in a pack of 100 gloves there are less than 1.5 gloves with defects in them. This is why we can hand on heart say that Bastion disposable gloves are superior quality, and why they are widely trusted by medical professionals throughout Australasia.
Bastion provide industry specific workplace PPE solutions
If you are looking for quality disposable gloves then stock up on your essentials at Bastion Pacific NZ. If you need further information on choosing the right gloves, then get in contact with our team for a chat on 0800 864 725 or [email protected].
Click here to to fill out our contact form if you would like to request further information or request samples of any products.
Browse our full range of disposable glove here.
Back...