Back-of-Hand Materials Crucial When Working With Crush Hazards

Concrete laborers take on challenging projects involving significant amounts of risk. Working conditions range from cement burns to crush hazards, both major concerns for employers concerned with protecting their employees. 

MCR Safety is committed to understanding all concrete-related risks and developing the best hand protection available for the concrete industry. To help highlight this commitment, a concrete-dedicated page has been created, educating laborers on the most common concrete hazards and their product solutions.

One of the hazards covered are crush hazards. Beyond what is covered below, be sure to check out MCR Safety's Impact Protection page covering all back-of-hand protection hazards a worker might face.

Crush and Pin Point Hazards Defined

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines crush and pin point hazards as “Injuries resulting from a person being squeezed, caught, crushed, pinched, or compressed between two or more objects, or between parts of an object. This includes individuals who get caught or crushed in operating equipment, between other mashing objects, between a moving and stationary object, or between two or more moving objects.”

Back-of-Hand Materials Designed to Offer Maximum Protection

Due to the high number of crush-related hand injuries, MCR Safety has taken extra care in developing PPE that provides maximum protection. Choosing the best technology and materials is the key in designing the best PPE, which is no small task. One way they select new, innovative material is by extensively testing materials in their Innovations Testing Center (ITC) Lab.

How Does D3O® Technology Work?

As described by the developers of the material themselves, “Based on non-Newtonian principles, in its raw form, the material’s molecules flow freely, allowing it to be soft and flexible, but on impact, lock together to dissipate impact energy and reduce transmitted force.”

This technology undergoes the highest standards of testing through a small-scale, rapid prototyping facility. D3O® works in several independent test laboratories to verify the effectiveness of its products including SATRA Technology, National Physical Laboratory, INSPEC, and British Standards Institute. (D3O® is a gold member at SATRA technology.)

Thermoplastic Rubber Technology (TPR)

Always reliable and versatile, TPR technology is used in a wide variety of gloves engineered by MCR Safety. Thermoplastic rubber (also known as TPR) was one of the first materials to revolutionize the hand safety industry. This simplistic, sturdy and flexible material is perfect for adhering to gloves and back-of-hand protection against impact and crush hazards. With this versatile material, MCR Safety has won new product awards for the ZB100 and HV200.

The Evolution of Thermoplastic Technology (TPR)

The material itself is a simple rubber containing intuitive shock-absorbing properties and superior elasticity. Over time, MCR Safety has transitioned to using sonic welding to adhere the material to the glove itself. This offers the highest level of comfort, avoiding the placement of stitching which can cause irritation.

Be sure to check out the entire TPR timeline.

MC503 UltraTech Multi-Task Offering TPR Technology

One of the toughest gloves on the market, the MC503 provides outstanding TPR back-of-hand protection. It boasts an impressive lineup of additional features.

Some standout features include:

• TPR design providing excellent back-of-hand protection
• ANSI A5 cut resistance
• Premium goatskin palm
• Reinforced thumb crotch
• Pull tab and ID panel on the wrist for user personalization