Treadstone Safety

Treadstone – Safety without Compromise.

Treadstone Products — Sun, 17 Sep 2023 18:05:32 +0000

Safety gloves? They’re all the same aren’t they?

Tony O’Donovan, European Sales Manager – Safety Division for Treadstone Products shares his experise on what sets the company’s safety gloves apart from key competitor products.

It’s something we hear quite a lot at Treadstone Products and was certainly a bit of a theme at our recent NEC exhibition, where we presented our latest range of engineering safety gloves to a pleasantly surprised audience at Subcon 23. I say surprised, as we were the only dedicated safety glove manufacturer at the show and we were very grateful for the many who stopped by ( some slightly coerced ) and cheerfully took away catalogues, contact details and some of the many free safety glove samples on offer during the show.

It’s certainly true that safety gloves do often look the same, but it’s a fast moving, innovative industry that has seen enormous changes in the last 20 years and if you look a little more carefully “under the bonnet”, the differences can be quite stunning!

If we look at just one element of safety gloves for instance, “cut resistance”, this is certainly very evident indeed. You really don’t have to be that old to remember when cut resistance was just a thick leather palm or a seemingly space age ¾ nitrile coating. These days of course, even the glory days of “Cut 5”, the gold standard for many years with all glove manufacturers, is mostly long forgotten. Its been replaced now with a much more informative, accurate and higher performance A-F system under the EN388 standard, with cut F rapidly becoming the “go to” for most users with cut resistance requirements..

But there’s so much more to a glove than cut resistance.. Today’s safety glove users require many different functions from their hand protection, for different tasks and for different levels of protection.. Whether that’s durability, puncture resistance, impact protection or touch sensitivity, dexterity, comfort or even just getting the right size, glove wearers are far more selective about exactly what they want. And that’s a good thing, because glove users and their respective employers are better educated than ever before about the hazards and risks around the workplace, more aware of their responsibilities around PPE provision and glove users, are perhaps more concerned than ever for their own individual welfare..

At Treadstone, we have a huge variety of engineering safety gloves for a wide range of applications. From the flagship “Atom1c” Graphene Cut Resistant Range, featuring low diameter, touch sensitivity with exceptional high cut resistance, to the super comfortable RazorPlex Range or for those with less money to spend, but still have high performance requirements, there’s our timeless “Originals” range. Something for everybody, you might say…

Net zero / carbon neutral / recycled content is fast becoming the topic on most people minds. Companies are naturally looking to recycled or eco friendly safety glove products as a standard part of their PPE requirements, as they look to reduce their own impact on the environment.. Its early days for the industry and there’s currently a lot of “green washing” going on, but certainly gloves with recycled bottle content can make a difference and with more traceability and independently scrutinised evidence based proof required, this will soon be the norm for most glove manufacturers… Our own range is due for launch in 2024, featuring gloves specifically designed for the engineering markets across all cut levels, so watch this space…

In addition to this, our launch packaging already removed over 1 million individual glove bags from the eco system, with cardboard inner packs and header cards replacing unnecessary plastics. We are going even further with our new innovative Green T range, with announcements in due course…

Since our official launch on the international stage at A+A Dusseldorf 2019 and in the UK at Health and Safety, NEC the company has grown enormously, with our gloves entering many markets across the UK.

Whether that’s oil and gas, engineering, manufacturing, aerospace, HVAC, assembly, agriculture or local authority Treadstone Products certainly have the safety gloves for your business. Our products and services also include free tool box talks, site surveys and assessments, problem solving sessions, free trials and educational training for management and supervisors to ensure the best hand protection for your site… There’s a no obligation, stress free discussion to be had, with no pressured sales pitches and no pushy sales reps… We’re safety people and we want to promote the best hand protection for the job, even if its not ours!

Wherever you buy your gloves, there is a Treadstone Safety Glove that you can buy safely, with confidence and at a price you can afford… That’s our “Safety without Compromise” guarantee.. We would put our products against any of the big price ticket, brand names in the safety glove world on quality and performance, whoever they are, so you can buy our Treadstone Branded products with absolute confidence. As a proud, certified British Safety Industry Federation member, it’s the very least you would expect…..

Cut Resistance

Treadstone Products — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 14:06:36 +0000

Introduction

In this brief article below, we set out the basics of glove selection, with some useful guides, images and comment that we very much hope you will find interesting, helpful and informative when making that vital safety glove choice. It’s not a definitive answer to your glove selection issues, but will provide some useful insight. If you need any further information or guidance, or just have a nagging question in the back of your mind, please don’t hesitate to contact us at any time, either through the web site at www.treadstoneproducts.com/treadstone-safety/ or at our offices in Malpas, Cheshire on Tel: 01978 664667.

Standards
Since the initial introduction of British Standards and more recently the EU standards “cut resistant gloves” have perhaps seen the biggest change of all the glove styles. With the development of a new improved version of the EN 388 (2003) mechanical glove standards we all grew up with, (officially now titled EN 388:2016+A1:2018), cut resistance has finally come of age …and that’s great news for everybody.
The new standards ensure a more accurate method of testing and as a result, a far higher level of protection afforded by all newly approved cut resistant gloves. Our more recent familiarity with “Cut 5” being the all singing all dancing height of cut resistance performance, whilst not a distant memory, is now at last, thankfully fading fast. This is largely due to the new so called “TDM test methods” of ISO 13997. So what’s changed…?

Coupe Test

Under the old standards, the coupe test was employed to measure cut resistance of a glove. This was a rotating circular blade, moving across the test fabric with a fixed force of 5 Newtons applied. Once the blade broke through the fabric and contacted the indicator below, the tests stopped and a measurement of cycles counted, against the index ( fig 1.) The problem with this, is that when the blade is blunted, the cycle count continued to the max every time.

We then see many gloves which were considered to be high cut resistance level 5, which in reality were quite poor. Imagine trying to cut through a nice steak with a butter knife..!

TDM Test: ISO 13997
This is the game changer. So gloves which are now proven to blunt the blade on the coupe test (I.e. gloves with high glass fibre content or steel core for instance) are moved straight to the TDM test, with an X replacing the 1-5 number in the EN 388 classification and an additional letter from A-F added at the end, depending on the result (4541 becomes 4X41A-F). See table (fig 2.)
A single swipe cycle, with an increased newton force and a new blade each time ensures there’s no blunting of the blade and therefore a much more accurate result is ensured…

The fresh blade is positioned over the fabric on a curved test surface. For Level A, a force of 2 Newtons is applied and the blade pushed across the fabric. If the blade does not break through the fabric making contact with the indicator, a higher force is added for level B of 5 Newtons with a new blade and we go again… This continues until there is a breakthrough of the fabric, with a maximum force of 30 Newtons for level F, the highest cut resistance offered under the EN standards.

How can we compare old and new standards??

Regrettably, there is absolutely no correlation at all between the old EN 388 standards of cut level 1-5 and the new EN 388:2016+A1:2018 A to F standards whatsoever… We have seen several of the old cut level 5 gloves retested using the new standards and the results are quite disturbing, with some achieving just level B. Thankfully, the old style cut gloves which are lurking in every corner of the country will gradually disappear from the shelves of UK stockists, due to the expiry of their old certification, and we should finally find them all replaced with the new much improved A-F marked products….

Fig 1.

Fig 2.

It certainly all seemed a lot easier back in the late 70’s / early 80’s with just a few poorly manufactured riggers gloves, yellow criss cross, knitted wrist red PVC gloves and cotton chromes to select from, and all too often, all available “in just one size.” Back then, chemical handling was generally all about the big red PVC gauntlets and very little else…. Of course, we generally didn’t know any better at the time and “hand safety” wasn’t so much a thing back in the day. Fast forward 40+ years and the world of safety gloves is almost unrecognisable!

Driven by demands for better health and safety, the glove business is now right at the forefront of new innovative PPE technologies and the biggest changes in our industry to date…..? “Cut Resistance”.

Opposite, is a new glove selection table used by Treadstone Products “Spectrum-iD” labelled gloves. This offers the ability to choose the glove by colour coding and also easily monitor / supervise employees checking that they have green marked gloves for high risk / high cut resistance, Amber for medium risk / medium cut resistance and Red for low level cut resistance and low risk work.

Whilst this does give some guidance, it still doesn’t necessarily point you in exactly the right direction. Yes, you may decide the job is high risk, but there are also additional tools available to further help with your decision… See (fig 3.) on the next page below.

Our table here below, shows the dynamics of looking at the hazard and risks involved… Again, not 100% decisive, but a good method of getting you in the right mind-set to make that final call…

Fig 3.

his table can be used as a quick simple guide, but using a higher rated glove is always preferable, assuming good grip, dexterity, comfort, size, touch sensitivity and general performance is also acceptable. These types of gloves, should not to be used around turning / rotating machinery, such as drills, saws etc. or where there is a risk of entanglement.

Example Highlighted: Risk of cut is 4 and hazard severity is Medium. In this instance, a “Cut D” Safety Glove would perhaps be seen as the most appropriate selection. If a glove offering D or higher is acceptable in all other aspects ( some listed above ), then this could also be considered “an appropriate and informed choice”..

Cut resistance is, at the end of the day an indicator of just how much protection you will get when wearing a glove… Very few gloves are actually 100% resistant to cuts, but can certainly reduce the risk of injury significantly should that unfortunate incident occur. Wearing the right glove / sleeve can in many cases eliminate the risk, but PPE will always be the last line of defence… (See right) Image of the Hierarchy of Controls, commonly used in the safety industry….

Latest UK developments 2023:

UKCA. Its perhaps worth noting that, during the 2020/21/22 worldwide pandemic, we in the safety world were also consumed by the government’s decision to go ahead with Brexit. This triggered significant chaos across the UK markets, not to mention huge additional costs to business across both the manufacturing and supply chain.

From Jan 2022, all new safety products to be placed on the market in the UK were to be UKCA marked and certified, using newly appointed Approved Bodies (UK based), replacing the old European CE system, governed by Notified Bodies (now only EU based). We all thought that this was here to stay, but the drip, drip of kicking the can down the road, extending deadlines to allow companies to catch up and get on board has now unbelievably been reversed, with CE now to be accepted universally “for the foreseeable future”…

CE marked products “on the ground / already placed on the market” will remain legal to use, to buy and to sell. Nobody should feel that CE marked products are in some way inferior to the UKCA certified products or can’t be sold. The standards remain the same, with Great Britain adopting EN standards as “designated standards”. All that had changed, was literally the process of assessment, the product markings and the approved governing bodies. All CE assessed / CE marked products already placed on the GB / UK market will remain completely legal for sale and use in these markets.

All of the cut resistant product range at Treadstone Safety is now CE and UKCA certified and our new stocks coming through will all carry both markings, as we will continue to sell in both UK and EU markets. We will certainly continue to sell our existing CE marked stocks, but will provide customers with updated UKCA certification if requested and this along with all of our DoC and datasheets will be downloadable direct from our downloads section, which can be found here. With the new rules in place, there remains some uncertainty about how gloves should be marked, but as a consumer, please be assured that whether you have CE or UKCA marked product, these will be backed by testing and certification, to ensure your safety… What the future holds remains uncertain, but you can be sure, we will be right across it…

And finally……. as I said at the start, this is not a definitive solution to your cut glove selection problems. But hopefully, it has provided some useful insight into the selection process and provided enough information to make an informed choice… Still unsure?? Don’t take risks. If you need any further help or guidance, please don’t hesitate to contact us at any time. We provide glove selection / hand protection training, site surveys and problem solving for all aspects of hand protection. The journey starts right here. Contact us via the web site or via e-mail sales@treadstoneproducts.com

…and finally, “anyone can sell safety, but you wouldn’t buy safety from just anyone?”
As proud members of the BSiF (British Safety Industry Federation) and their Registered Safety Supplier Scheme, you can rely on Treadstone Safety to deliver quality, certified products and good advice. If you’re not buying from us, then please make sure you buy from somebody who is a BSiF RSSS member, for that added peace of mind…

All information correct at the time of posting Aug 2023..

Private Label Safety Gloves

Treadstone Products — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 10:18:37 +0000

Is Private Label Gloves for you??

Having a private label safety glove has many benefits, some obvious and some not so… The marketing element alone is a very powerful tool. It helps draw attention to your business, builds brand awareness to those who maybe didn’t know your company and can provide a degree of stability for your customers. The innovations, the colour schemes, the identity and even the performance can be fashioned in your image, bringing to life fabulous new ideas for your business and for your customers.

Buying in bulk, direct from the factory also of course has huge benefits with lower costs, but also in service terms, as you can then control your own inventory instead of being at the mercy of those supplying you with standard product. Lack of availability often leads to customers having to choose alternatives, perhaps even opening the door for competitors, not just on gloves, but on a whole range of products…

Treadstone Safety, as part of a large Asia Pacific manufacturing group are able to offer a wealth of knowledge and experience, when it comes to creating own label / private label / OEM customer branded products… Already supplying many of the world’s leading safety glove brands, Treadstone Safety Group are pleased to offer our UK customers this complete concept, design, build, development, test and certification service, with finished product delivered direct to your door, duty paid…..

Whether you are trying to imitate an existing product in the market right now (availability subject to IP ownership / patent protections) or just have a design you want to create with your own unique vision, Treadstone Safety can help bring this to life… We can facilitate brand creation, glove design, product development and ensure the product meets your performance requirements, before independently testing, inspecting and certifying for sale in your desired market…

Treadstone are also proud members of the BSiF (British Safety Industry federation) and their exceptional Registered Safety Supplier Scheme.

We can also offer private label versions of our own existing products, a route many of our customers use already… Listed below is a brief overview summary of the simple steps from a simple idea to delivering the product to your door, but this process is usually outlined best in a face to face meeting, to ensure glove styles and performance are correctly understood by both parties…

Simple Step by Step Summary.

1. Agree glove style, design, performance requirements.
2. Agree packaging / labelling requirements.
3. Confirm glove price delivered as required and one off certification costs to be paid by customer…
4. Approve final sample / design / quality and sign off necessary authorisations.
5. Place order. (Allow 120 days’ lead time for regular product / 180 days’ lead time for brand new product.)
6. Pay 30% deposit (if required) with order.
7. Pay 70% final payment or commit to 30-day credit terms on bill of lading.
8. QA support on your premises or on our own, prior to release of the goods to the customer.
9. Prepare next order, bearing in mind lead times and predicted sales volumes of the customer…

Of course we’re not all glove experts and maybe you’re not quite sure what’s available to you. See below our in depth (but not exhaustive) check list of what options we have available, which we can talk through in design meetings with your staff or customers, before making our final offer…

Detailed options / check list:

Is the glove requirement a copy or imitation of an existing glove? What is the manufacturer and code? Please provide a datasheet and 2 pairs of samples for each project.

Performance Data:
Does the glove have a very specific performance requirement it must meet? I.e Gloves must be EN21420 as standard, but for EN388 there are abrasion, cut, tear, puncture and TDM cut plus impact resistance options. Examples such as 4X42EP for instance…
Try using our special Treadstone Glove Selector software, to see if the glove you want actually already exists, or can be used as the basis for the glove you want to design… Available to use on the web site or as a file download we can send to you directly. If not, see lists below and put together your requirements individually from the many options available.

Base materials:

Yarn Type:
• Nylon / Recycled / Polyester / HPPE / Graphene / Spandex / Polycotton.
Yarn gauge.
• 21g, 18g, 15g, 13g, 10g, 7g.
Yarn Colour.
• Can be literally anything. Provide pantone reference if possible.

Material Type.
• Leather (cowhide, goatskin) / Faux Leather / Recycled Faux leather.
Material Weight.
• Light / medium / heavy.
Material colour.
• Can be literally anything. Provide pantone reference if possible.
Coatings style.
• Single Palm Coating / Single ¾ Palm Coating / Single Full coating / Double Dipped + one of previous.
Coatings Material / Finish.
• Nitrile Foam / Nitrile Microfoam / Nitrile Sandy /

Nitrile Flat
• Latex / Latex Foam / Latex crinkle
• PU
• PVC Polka Dots
• Specialist Silicone Print Coating / patterns also available.
Glove Lining.
• Thermal Lining 7g or 10g Terry
• 3M Thinsulate (several weights available or Chinese equivalent)
• Unlined
Special Features.
• TPR (EN or ANSi) plus also “glow in the dark” hi vis options / colour options
• Thumb Crotch plus colour options
• Extended Thumb Crotch plus colour options
• Hole feature (for clip / karabiner
• Something new innovative / special or unique?
• Do you need to achieve a specific performance for cut or abrasion, puncture etc?
• Is it oil grip or touch sensitivity or even touchscreen capabilities that the glove must have?

Size Range.
• Most glove styles available 6-11 / 7-11 / 8-11 / 7-10.
• Special sizes 5 / 12 are available upon request.
Markings.
• Heat Sealed transfer (Indicate where!)
• Pad Print / screen print
• Sewn in Label
Packaging:
• Pack sizes 1prs, 6prs, 10prs or 12prs with User Instructions placed where?
• Internal packs / bags / boxes / belly wraps
• Do you require special recycled / recyclable options?
• External boxes are black printed as standard with contents. Specify branding design and colour, plus special requirements if required.
• Product can be palletised specially to specific requirements at extra cost and loaded on containers as such, but this requires loss of cbm available for product, increasing costs.

Additional Information.

Maybe we missed something, or there’s an option that we just haven’t mentioned. Whatever it is, if its physically possible and practical (and of course its not protected in some way by IP or Patents) I’m sure we can facilitate the idea… Please don’t hesitate to ask…

Putting a private label glove together can be extremely easy and uncomplicated, or can be a full scale innovative development, but whatever your requirements, Treadstone Safety have the knowledge, the experience and the capability to turn your safety glove wish list into reality…

Interested, please contact us to arrange a call, a zoom or a meeting to allow us to present ourselves and our services in person.

Tony O’Donovan – European Sales Manager – Safety Division.
Mobile: 07591 207324
Offices: 01978 664667