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Safety & Quality

Glove Testing

Glove testing is carried out to ensure that the products meet the national and international standards and specifications set for the products. It is also used to define and maintain product specifications, to monitor quality control and quality assurance of product and to measure the capability of the manufacturing process.

Glove tests are used to evaluate dimensions, tensile strength and elongation, puncture, residual powder, leakage, simulated use, heat aging degradation, and viral barriers. These tests are appropriate for rubber, nitrile, and vinyl materials.

Testing Methods

AQL

AQL for Acceptable Quality Level is a statistical measure of quality assurance which determines how many defective units are allowed in a batch of manufactured products as assessed by testing a certain randomly drawn quantity. The lower the AQL level the higher the assumed level of quality and personal protection. The AQL glove criteria encompass critical defects (e.g. water leak failure limits detecting pinholes) and major defects (e.g. flaws in physical dimensions and/or physical properties).
For protective gloves applying to complex risks (EN ISO 374-1:2016) and medical gloves (EN 455), the standard maximum AQL of 1.5 for holes is required in Europe. This has to be determined according to more stringent inspection requirements as compared to an AQL level of 2.5 or 4.0, which are more likely to be used for applications for which barrier protection is less crucial.

Air Test

Inflation of the latex gloves with air, to visually detect any defects by placing close attention to the fingers. Air testing the gloves is quite effective, as the workers can see how the latex material spreads as the glove stretches.

Degration

Degradation describes a physical deterioration of the glove material caused by contact with a chemical, which may cause the material to shrink or swell, become stiffer or change its structure. Tested according to EN 374-4:2013.

Modified Human Draize Test

Dermal sensitization test performed to demonstrate the potential of the device for eliciting a delayed hypersensitivity (Type IV) immunological response through its contact with skin. The test is conducted by repeatedly applying latex glove patches to human skin over a 6-week period. The results are determined based on the degree of skin reaction during the period tested.

Permeation

Permeation describes the process in which a chemical diffuses and moves through intact glove material. It is usually indicated by the breakthrough time, which is the time it takes a chemical to move completely through the material. Tested according to EN 16523-1:2015.

Penetration

Penetration refers to the process in which a chemical moves through pinholes, seams or other glove imperfections. Tested according to EN 374-2:2014.

Tensile Strength (Force at Break)

Tensile strength is a performance parameter of the material (independent of the crosssectional area) which is used in ASTM standards. European standards indicate force at break in Newton, which is a performance parameter of the device (glove) dependent on the cross-sectional area (wall thickness). In general, the lower the tensile strength, the easier gloves with the same wall thickness will tear if they are subject to a tensile force. The European standard for medical gloves (EN 455) prescribes a force at break (median) of ≥6 Newton for examination gloves made from natural or synthetic rubber.

Watertight Test

Test utilized to pass or fail the barrier integrity of a glove. A glove is filled with 1 liter of water, suspended and manipulated for 2 minutes to determine if the barrier is compromised by a pinhole defect.