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Despite the presence of personal protective equipment (PPEs), numerous women are still prone to injury at work due to incorrect fittings for welding gloves, heavy leather boots, and helmets. These protective gears are supposed to eliminate dangers in the workplace—but in this unfortunate situation, the opposite happens.
In this article, we will uncover the necessary personal protective equipment for women in the scope of welding gloves. Moreover, we will define what welding gloves are, why they are crucial, and why a women’s style of gloves is extremely important. Lastly, this article will also offer some of the best options for women’s welding gloves that are currently out in the market.
At the end of the day, our objective is to encourage and aid women, beginners and professionals alike, to enjoy their chosen hobby or career. If you want to learn more about female-designed personal protective equipment, then this is the perfect read for you.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the population of women in the welding community comprises about only 5%. For this reason, it is rare to find personal protective equipment for female welding operators. At the same time, not all women have the same preference or convenience when it comes to wearing personal protective equipment. For obvious reasons, the lack of female-designed personal protective equipment obstructs women from executing basic welding techniques since they are both 1) uncomfortable in their safety gear and 2) they are put at a higher risk of vital consequences of handling flames and other toxic chemicals.
Below are the most common concerns of female welders:
Wearing the inappropriate fitting for PPEs remains to be a problem for many women since it can potentially lead to site disasters, such as open flame burns and deep cuts or bruises. In line with these problems, it is especially crucial to select protective equipment that not only fits a person’s size regardless of sex but also feels comfortable when worn. The process of welding alone is already challenging enough.
The good news is that women no longer have to look far and wide to acquire personal protective equipment that will adequately shield them from the present hazards at work, such as scorching coals, direct contact with flames, and sparks. Various manufacturing companies have now opened their doors for welding operators of all sexes, shapes, and sizes—creating not only unisex welding gloves but protective gear specially designed for female hands and builds. There's still a ways to go, but it's a great initiative that will surely make a difference in the welding industry.
As the name suggests, welding gloves protect the hands of welders as they operate on their craft. It is one of the most valuable PPEs since it can guarantee that your hands and forearms are protected from open flames and sparks. Its structure varies largely from that of a regular construction glove, which is what makes them reliable. You can spot their differences based on what material they are made of. Most of the time, welding gloves are made of non-synthetic materials like cotton, wool, and leather to complement the logic that it is better for materials to burn than to melt on one’s skin.
Taking a closer look, we find that welding gloves consist of leather, flame-resistant treated cotton, and flame-resistant fabric sheets. These personal protective equipment have been tested in the laboratory to endure extremely high temperatures. This is to ensure maximum injury prevention and a low risk of any accidents happening during the welding activity. Since these gloves have been carefully tried and tested, experts ensured that digit articulation, abrasion resistance, and enhanced grip strength are accessible to all welding operators. All these excellent properties aim to protect your hands from common workplace risks, such as burns, spatter, cuts, sparks, and scratches. It is also necessary to keep welding safety gloves dry as a prevention tip for electrical shocks and grounding.
Compared to standard leather work gloves, welding safety gloves have a better insulation system, which allows welding operators to be able to withstand heat for long periods as they deal with conduction and radiation. These chemical processes pose a lot of painful health risks with the lack of protective gear. Welding safety gloves such as the GTAW or TIG Gloves are among the few models that have cold processes and require only a standard insulation system. Construction gloves can be distinguished from welding gloves due to the gauntlet type. Welding glove gauntlets are longer to protect both the hands and the forearms of the welding operator. In contrast, while regular construction gloves only have short gauntlets built only for the interior part. In addition to that, a welding gloves’ gauntlet may come with a small skirt.
If you are curious about the parts of a welding glove, they usually comprise a 16-inch long sleeve for protection against hot coals, sparks, and open flames. Aside from that, there are glove fourchettes with quirks on each finger, some tranks along with the palm space, backside, and thumb area, some gauge stitchings, and an inner lining to increase the comfort of wearing welding gloves. Some welding operators like to modify certain parts of their gloves, such as changing the gauge stitching into polyester or Kevlar, adjusting the linings for a thicker or less bulky feel to it, including a gauntlet cuff, and replacing the glove material from leather to fabric hem. Customizing the fit of the glove allows welding operators to perform welds with more ease and comfort.
There are different types of welding gloves. The three common ones include TIG welding gloves, MIG welding gloves, and Stick welding gloves—each has its unique composition, structure, and usage to correspond with a specific cutting torch, welding machine, and application. Aside from fitting, using the wrong set of gloves will put you at risk of injury, so be sure to double-check your personal protective equipment before starting on your workpiece.
The industry may see a limited source of welding gloves for women but not zero. Aside from unisex gear and customized versions of popular models, made-for-female welding gloves are now up for grabs at some shops. Let’s take a closer look.
Generally speaking, welding gloves for women are offered in various sizes, but the most common ones that are available are medium and small. These sizes can be stretched for female welders with a slightly bigger hand size without compromising their protective qualities.
Just like the regular men’s welding gloves, those offered in women’s sizes make use of cowhide that makes it flame and heat resistant during any kind of welding activity. If you take a close look at the inside portion of a women's-size welding glove, you will notice a soft cotton lining which was built inside for a 100% sweat absorption, fine motor movement comfort, and shield against heatwaves.
Female welders would not get enough of today’s wide variety of welding glove aesthetics. There are multiple shades, illustrations, and patterns per each set of gloves. Should a customized female welding glove tickle your fancy, welding essential shops are just around the corner.
To know if your gloves showcase standard-quality features, check if the pair is stitched with a premium Kevlar thread, which is the superior material. They would also have some welted seams integrated into them for durability. Plus, thumb pads are also incorporated within the welding gloves for women to extend their work life.
While personalized gloves may seem delightful, there are readily available models that female welders can browse through and order in the comfort of their homes. Since we have already highlighted the universal attributes of a good pair of welding gloves, we will now underline the distinct features of ladies welding gloves per brand.
Are you interested in getting your hands on some lovely sets of women’s gloves? Perhaps some that are manufactured by reputable welding gear companies? For this section, we have prepared three of the best options that will keep you, and all female welders alike, geared and protected during the welding process. Let’s take a peek:
Made from the finest cotton produced by the reputable safety gear brand, Black Stallion, these Angel Fire protective gloves come in different sizes that you can choose from on Amazon. The fits range from extra small to extra large based on their glove size chart, making it more inclusive to female welding operators. The standard dimensions of an extra small fit would follow a 1 x 4 x 9-inch measurement.
This product is made of premium grain kidskin palm with FR-treated cotton back and glove lining. You would also find industry-leading Kevlar stitching, a DragPatch side reinforcement, and an unlined palm feature around these welding gloves.
If you think that Black Stallion’s women’s TIG welding gloves are the perfect model for you, then hurry over to the checkout page!
Much like Black Stallion’s Angel Fire, Firefly offers premium safety gear exclusively for women. Their TIG welding gloves are forged with a BSX performance and style, and are designed with fitted kidskin and flame-resistant cotton for the female welder’s comfort and safety. Their welding gloves assure you of an enhanced dexterity, thanks to their seamless index and unlined palm attributes. To add, they have partnered with exclusively patented DragPatch® for the thermal lining, which offers added protection. Their female-centric glove sizes are inclusive of extra small, small, medium, large, and extra-large, allowing maximum comfort as female operators weld away.
Do you have a strong liking for Firefly’s women’s welding gloves? If this brand has your welding needs covered, then we advise you to add this product to your cart while the supplies last!
This dark and sleek product is made of non-synthetic material and packaged specially for female welders who frequently use stick cutting torches. Among its special features is the heat and flame-resistant cowhide that provides utmost protection and flexibility to accommodate most welding activities.
Moving on to the gloves’ interior, you’ll find a 100% absorbent cotton lining that offers two great benefits: optimal heat resistance and protection and a comfortable fit to achieve more precise and enjoyable welds. These gloves also feature state-of-the-art Kevlar stitching and welted seams to improve durability and thumb pad quality. Lincoln, an industry favorite, has crafted this product such that it could be worn for an extended period than the average work life of a standard welding glove.
Have you finally decided that the Lincoln women’s welding gloves are the perfect pair for you? If you believe so, then complete your set of personal protective equipment with this brand!
Welding gloves are an essential safety gear for women to perform basic welding techniques, and without these gloves, accidents are more likely to happen. No one, regardless of built, sex, and gender identity, would want that to happen to them.
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