# Checling voltage wile wearing Kevlar gloves



## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

I still use two fingers for 120 volts. a meter for unknown or 277. Find it impossible to wear gloves at work.


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## Lone Crapshooter (Nov 8, 2008)

If a person knows how to work they are not going to get hurt. Yes they will get small scrapes and the like but most of the mechanics I work with know what they can and cant do. 
Let me decide when I where gloves.


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

Lone Crapshooter said:


> I cautioned a contractor today about checking for voltage wile wearing Kevlar gloves. The ones he had on had rubber palms of some type I explained to him that if there was a flash that those gloves would probably melt. I explained to the foreman my concern and he told me that he had really never given that a thought.
> 
> He also told me that his crews prefer the Kevlar gloves because of the tight fit . They claim that it is easier to handle small parts with the Kevlar gloves. I can believe that.
> 
> ...


Yes, I have.


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## chrisfnl (Sep 13, 2010)

It's no different then any other PPE... if you don't wear it regularly, when you do, it'll be awkward...

Get a pair of gloves that fits, wear them, work in them, you'll be fine.

Why Kevlar though? Unless kevlar is mandatory, why not all leather? Better fit and easier to work in then kevlar, no melting hazard...


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## gold (Feb 15, 2008)

Shockdoc said:


> I still use two fingers for 120 volts. a meter for unknown or 277. Find it impossible to wear gloves at work.


I want to say thats the dumbest thing You have ever posted. But it probably isn't.


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

Lone Crapshooter said:


> I am not a big fan of a mandatory glove policy I say make every man have a pair of gloves but let him decide when he needs them . I don't like some keyboard jockey that has never worked a day in their life at a trade telling me that know what is best for me.


Having been in the field for almost 30 years and now often an office keyboard jokey I can tell you we don't require gloves because we are trying to tell the employee what is best for them, we are having them wear gloves because it is best for the company.

Lacerations are one of the most common injuries and if that laceration results in a hospital visit it can quickly cost the company thousands. If that laceration results in 'lost days' it also effects are 'MOD Rate' which controls insurance rates and if the MOD Rate is too high it can exclude us from bidding on many projects.


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

gold said:


> I want to say thats the dumbest thing You have ever posted. But it probably isn't.


Resi don't require gloves, all you " safety" hecklers will probably die before me anyway by some freak accident.:laughing:


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## sparky970 (Mar 19, 2008)

Lone Crapshooter said:


> I cautioned a contractor today about checking for voltage wile wearing Kevlar gloves. The ones he had on had rubber palms of some type I explained to him that if there was a flash that those gloves would probably melt. I explained to the foreman my concern and he told me that he had really never given that a thought.
> 
> He also told me that his crews prefer the Kevlar gloves because of the tight fit . They claim that it is easier to handle small parts with the Kevlar gloves. I can believe that.
> 
> ...


These gloves are both cut resistant and HRC 2 rated.
http://www.ansellconstruction.com/PowerFlex_80-813.aspx


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## Zog (Apr 15, 2009)

sparky970 said:


> These gloves are both cut resistant and HRC 2 rated.
> http://www.ansellconstruction.com/PowerFlex_80-813.aspx


You have to be careful here, they are not HRC 2 rated, nothing is really rated in "HRC", that is just poor marketing IMO, they have an ATPV rating of 12 cal/cm2. What is the difference you ask? HRC's from the 70E tables are based on an assumed working distance, 18" (for most cases), so the HRC 2 means *at 18"* there is an arc flash hazard level of between 4 and 8 cal/cm^2. So as long as your hands are 18" away from the energized parts, these would be OK to use. 

The Ei increases exponentally as you get closer. For example, say you are working in a panel labeled as HRC 2 with an incident energy of 7.7 cal/cm^2, which is based on an 18" working distance, and using these gloves you have an arc flash with your hands 6" from the arc, your hands would be exposed to 39 cal/cm^2 and the gloves will not protect you. 

Also bear in mind that when your hands cross the RAB you are required to waer shock protection, which these gloves do not offer. 

I hate arc rated gloves because most people do not understand how to properly apply them to thier safety programs and can cause a false sense of security and create a dangerous situation. Are they better than nothing, sure they are. Are they better than meltable fiber gloves, absoultly. You just have to understand what the ratings really mean, specifically when you get into higher energy systems.


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## Jmohl (Apr 26, 2011)

Kevlar gloves melt? ORLY??? I guess all the kevlar that I built into my model rockets needs to come out..... :whistling2: Seriously tho' kevlar and nomex are used extensively by the military for hand protection from abrasion and thermal injury because they are non-flamable, do not melt, give good cut and abrasion resistance, and still give the wearer good dexterity. that said, meh... for "hot" work, not my first choice even with the rubber palms as they ain't shock resistant.


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## Zog (Apr 15, 2009)

Who said kevlar gloves melt?:blink:


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## ralpha494 (Oct 29, 2008)

Zog said:


> Who said kevlar gloves melt?:blink:


See post # 1.


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

Jmohl said:


> Kevlar gloves melt? ORLY...?


 Not the Kevlar, the rubber palms on the gloves.

If they're in enclosures with arc-flash potential, I'd want to see them in insulated gloves and leathers, anyway. That takes care of the much more serious arc-flash and shock concerns.

As usual, I think this is a case of a safety department having their priorities wrong.

-John


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## kaboler (Dec 1, 2010)

I'm pro-glove. There's not much I need to do without gloves. Picking a lock-ring out of a small box, screwing on a nut, but mostly, a nice pair of gloves are unnoticeable.

Unless you're wearing the same kind of gloves that landscapers are, then I say, show some style man. Show some style.


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