Chemical Growth Fuels Innovations In Hybrid Cut And Chemical PPE

Workers are speaking loud and clear—with increased cut risks abundant in today’s machinery-heavy workspaces, cut protection can be as critical a factor as chemical protection.
The chemical industry is currently experiencing extensive growth. According to the American Chemistry Council, as many of the world’s major economies experience an upturn, the chemical industry stands poised to prosper, with U.S. chemistry production volume expected to increase by 3.7 percent in 2018. This momentum and expansion translates into a powerful workforce. The chemical industry alone employs 811,000 people in the United States and for every job created from the business of chemistry, 6.8 jobs are created in other sectors. Talk about a true chemical reaction!
As with any growth comes evolution and the chemical industry is no exception. To meet growing industry demands for innovations and efficiencies, automated machinery and technology are becoming more common in the workplace than ever before. With workspaces outfitted with advanced technologies and businesses challenged to forge paths of accelerated growth, the need to multitask and quickly change from a chemical setting to a mechanical setting is the new norm. Workers are being challenged to move more quickly and efficiently from task to task for better productivity and performance.

As chemical work becomes increasingly more complex, so does outfitting workers with proper personal protective equipment (PPE). Chemical workers regularly dealing with automated machinery or advanced equipment are routinely exposed to cut hazards in chemical applications, putting themselves at an increased risk of injury, poor comfort and loss of productivity.
Therefore, a new challenge arises for safety managers and workers alike, namely, finding safety solutions that provide comfort and performance without compromising chemical or cut protection. Thanks to innovations in PPE, such options exist, but they do so in a sea of gloves that settle for cut or chemical protection at the expense of grip, comfort, or dexterity. Safety managers must wade through a wide array of cut and chemical safety products to find the right balance of protection.