In nearly every profession, there are certain supplies needed to help you do your job better, more effectively, and safer. Jobs that involve manual labor require close attention to safety to ensure that workers avoid injuries on the job.
While fixing cars does not seem like a particularly dangerous job, mechanics are still at risk of injury and exposure every day. Too often people assume that mechanics will have permanently dirty hands marked deeply with oil and grease; however, that does not need to be the case and shouldn’t be the standard.
Not protecting your hands when working as a mechanic can lead to increased injury. Your hands will be consistently rough and calloused, which is not healthy for your skin. When the skin becomes rough, it breaks and splits easily. When the skin breaks, all the oil and chemicals you are coming in contact with can get in your skin and blood stream, leading to infection.
Here are three reasons why mechanics should consider using disposable gloves while working.
1. You need to protect your hands from chemicals.
As a mechanic, you will be exposed to a variety of chemicals that can be immediately harmful or harmful over a long period of time. From used oil and gasoline to battery acid, there are several substances that you are exposed to when working on cars. Disposable gloves will help protect your hands from backsplash, spills, and spray from these chemicals. While disposable gloves won’t protect you from everything, they will provide a strong first line of defense. They will protect your skin from immediate burns and irritation while also helping keep your hands clean. As a mechanic, you expect to get your hands dirty, and that isn’t a bad thing. But protecting yourself from chemical exposure and deflecting some of the dirt and grime is a bonus.
2. It costs less to use disposable gloves.
You will go through piles of rags, cloths, paper towels, and fabric gloves working on cars every day. Disposable gloves will alleviate some of that need by preventing you from having to wipe your hands every time you touch something. When your hands get extremely dirty, you can pull the gloves off and throw them away. You don’t have to waste time, money, and resources, putting them through the wash like you need to with fabric gloves and wash rags. You’ll use fewer paper towels and reduce the amount of waste you create.
3. You won’t have to worry about ruining your work gloves.
Disposable gloves can be used under or over fabric gloves as long as you have the right sizes. Putting disposable gloves over your work gloves will help make them last longer. Work gloves provide a strong layer of protection for your skin, keeping your hands free of chemicals, injuries, and cold. Putting on disposable gloves under your work gloves will also provide a layer of protection to keep your hands dry when working on cars outside or when at an increased risk of exposure to liquids and chemicals.
Companies like PalmFlex specialize in a broad range of work supplies and safety equipment, particularly work gloves and disposable gloves. You can buy high-quality, durable, disposable work gloves that will last the entire day even after removing and putting them back on. Disposable gloves are far more durable than the paper-thin ones used in restaurants.
While some may see disposable gloves as an extra expense or wasteful, they are far more cost-effective and produce less overall waste. All of the benefits of wearing disposable gloves will be noticed by both mechanics and their employers.