Are you wearing the right gloves?
Everyone working with electricity should be wearing insulating
gloves to protect them from the danger of electrical shocks
and burns – it can be a matter of life or death. Even minor
electrical shocks can be fatal if someone has an unknown heart
condition.
No matter where or what the industry or environment, electricalinsulation gloves (also known as electrician gloves, insulatingrubber gloves, electricity gloves and linesman gloves) areessential wear to keep people safe at work.
But, do you have the right gloves for your work?
Choosing the right glove
Insulating electrician gloves used in Europe mustcomply with EN 60903 standard Electrical
Insulating Gloves. EN 60903-compliant gloves
are defined by six classifications, relating to thevoltage they are capable of providing electrical
shock protection against. These are as follows:
Class 00 – 500 volts AC
750 volts DC
Class 0 – 1,000 volts AC
1,500 volts DC
Class 1 – 7,500 volts AC
11,250 volts DC
Class 2 - 17,000 volts AC
25,500 volts DC
Class 3 - 26,500 volts AC
39,750 volts DC
Class 4 – 36,000 volts AC
54,000 volts DC
Choosing the right glove
The ASTM label system uses colour to define immediately and visuallythe voltage protection level for each classification and carriesinformation including the manufacturer/brand, country of origin andmaximum voltage protection.
Class 00 – Beige
Class 0 – Yellow
Class 1 – Red
Class 2 - White
Class 3 - Green
Class 4 – Orange
IEC60903 application:
Classification
The gloves covered by this standard shall be designated as follows:
– by class, as class 00, class 0, class 1, class 2, class 3 and class 4;
– by special properties, by the addition of a suffix to the class of the glove as shown in Table 1.
Guidance as to temperature range at which gloves can be used is given in Annex A.
(Temperature Standard gloves should be used in areas having ambient temperatures between –25 °C and +55 °C, and category C gloves should be used in ambient temperatures between –40 °C and +55 °C.)
When a colour code for symbols is used, it shall correspond to the following:
class 00 – beige;
class 0 – red;
class 1 – white;
class 2 – yellow;
class 3 – green;
class 4 – orange.
Electrical requirements:
Gloves shall be capable of withstanding the corresponding electrical stresses according to its electrical class.
Marking:
Each glove which is claimed to comply with the requirements of this standard shall bear a
label and/or marking giving the following information:
– symbol IEC 60417-5216:2002-10 – Suitable for live working; double triangle (see Annex B);
NOTE The exact ratio of the height of the figure to the base of the triangle is 1,43. For the purpose of convenience, this ratio can be between the values of 1,4 and 1,5.
– number of the relevant IEC standard immediately adjacent to the symbol (IEC 60903);
– name, trademark or
identification of the
manufacturer;
– category, if applicable;
– size;
– class;
– month and year of manufacture.
Composite gloves shall also be identified with a mechanical symbol (hammer), adjacent to the double triangle (see Figure 3). The length of the hammer (x) shall be equal to the length of
one side of the triangles.