Glove Liners: Improving More Than Operator Comfort

Operators in your controlled environment know it—cleanroom gloves can be uncomfortable, reduce dexterity, increase fatigue, and make hands feel sweaty and clammy. Cleanroom gloves are not breathable by design. Their purpose is to encapsulate any particles shed from an operator’s hand and to leave as few contaminants behind on the tool, product, or process they contact.

Since over 70% of contaminants in any cleanroom are operator-generated, according to NEBB research, the most effective cleanroom glove will be the one that your operators will wear and use properly. 

One of the simplest ways to meet your facility’s cleanliness requirements and improve operator comfort for the duration of a shift is to make sweat-absorbing glove liners available in gowning rooms to your cleanroom staff.

By improving comfort and reducing the potential for skin irritation, you simultaneously reduce the risk of contamination, as operators are less tempted to wear the glove improperly—including taking the glove off, pulling the cuff down, changing the glove out prematurely, and so on.

Advantage Of Glove Liners: Comfort And Compliance

The benefits of glove liners, as a result of increased operator comfort:

• Improve productivity, yield, and compliance because happy operators are more likely to follow protocols.
• Reduce the number of glove changes per day because operators’ hands will avoid becoming overly sticky and sweaty from direct contact with the glove.
• Eliminate operator downtime due to skin irritations and dermatitis.

Half-Finger (Fingerless) Glove Liners Maintain Full Hand Dexterity

Valutek glove liners are available in full-finger and half-finger options. Full-finger glove liners absorb the most sweat and limit any chance of skin irritation by avoiding all direct contact with the glove material, but they reduce tactile sensation and dexterity at the fingertips.

As an alternative, half-finger glove liners absorb most sweat while only allowing for minimal direct contact of the skin to the glove; however, the real advantage to this option is that operators can maintain fingertip sensation and dexterity for fine motor skills needed for certain work. Depending on the process and operator preference, both are options to consider.

Relief From Skin Abrasions

If an operator has a skin abrasion, irritation, rash or cut, it can be very uncomfortable to wear a cleanroom glove for long periods of time.

Glove liners provide relief to operators with these temporary conditions, and can reduce their lingering affects.

Happy, Comfortable, Productive Operators

Offering glove liners to your cleanroom team not only improves their comfort, but ultimately helps your organization reduce the risk of contamination, maintain compliance requirements, and increase overall production quality.

Get in touch with Valutek now to request glove liner samples today!

Explore More Resources:

Cleanroom Glove Selection Fundamentals Part III: Comfort Requirements - Blog
Four Steps to Close the Cleanliness-Comfort Gap in Cleanroom Apparel - Blog
What Cleanroom Glove Offers the Most Comfort – PVC, Latex, or Nitrile? - Video