To conform with European legislation, all gloves supplied as personal protective equipment must comply with the Personal Protective Equipment Directive [implemented into UK law by The Personal Protective Equipment (EC Directive) Regulations 1992] and be CE marked.
OProducts such as gardening gloves, of “simple design”, protecting from minor risk of injury can be self-certified by the manufacturer or importer. Gloves worn to protect the user from potentially life threatening risks must be independently tested by an approved test house to an appropriate European Standard. A summary of the main glove standards is given below:
| BS EN 420 | General requirements for all gloves (Sizing, product and packaging information and marking, etc.) |
| BS EN 374-2 | Resistance to penetration by micro-organisms |
| BS EN 374-3 | Resistance to chemical hazards |
| BS EN 381 | Chainsaw hazards |
| BS EN 388 | Protect against mechanical hazards |
| BS EN 407 | Protect against heat and fire |
| BS EN 421 | Protect against ionising radiation |
| BS EN 511 | Protect against low temperature |
| BS EN 659 | Firefighters’ gloves |
One of the important benefits of the standards is marking, which reduces the possibility of gloves being used incorrectly.
Gloves in the “simple design” category (protecting against minor risk) will have packaging marked with the words “For minimal risks only”. Other gloves will have more information on the packaging, including:
- The CE mark – showing it conforms to the appropriate standard, with the approved body identification number
- A pictogram indicating the gloves protective properties
- A series of numbers accompanying the pictogram, indicating its performance in the various tests applicable to that standard.