VIDEO: TOOLING UP: Safety Gloves Fit For the Job

BRIAN MOSELEY: There are jobs that have cut hazards. There are jobs that have puncture hazards and the list just goes on and on. And that's why the SHOWA product line is so large. We don't have one glove that fits all. Nobody does. But we do have all different types of variations within the design process to be able to help these types of hazards, like we'll talk today with the anti-static gloves.

Narrator: This video is brought to you by SHOWA. Always innovating, never imitating. If you're looking for real world insights, tips from leading industry experts, the latest trends in products and technology, you've come to the right place. From MSC Industrial Supply, this is Tooling Up.

TONI NEARY: Hello and welcome to Tooling Up. I'm your host, Toni Neary, and I'm so glad that you've joined us today. Before we get to today's guest, we've got some business to take care of. And not to toot my own horn or anything, but we all agree that Tooling Up is not to be missed, right? So make sure you're not missing it. Click those like and subscribe buttons. And today I'm excited to be talking about anti-static glove technology with Brian Moseley. He's the RAQA technical manager at SHOWA Group. Brian, thanks so much for joining us and welcome back to Tooling Up.

BRIAN MOSELEY: Thank you very much, Toni. It's always our pleasure to be able to come back to Tooling Up. Appreciate what you do. And we look forward to this conversation.

TONI NEARY: Absolutely. And I know our regular Tooling Up viewers will remember how passionate you are about gloves from our last conversation, but why is it so important to you to make sure that people are in safe hands, if you will?

BRIAN MOSELEY: You know, Toni, that is a great question because when I started here back in 2004, so it's been over 20 years now. You know how it is. You get out of college and you're looking for a job, and it was one that was in the R&D perspective. And I started there. And, you know, we looked at the job description and I was actually designing gloves.

And that was very exciting from an engineering standpoint. But what really changed about the whole situation is when I went into field trials, and I noticed that you know, these people, when they go home, we're protecting them, not just on the job but to be able to go home. Aristotle said the instrument of all instruments is your hands, and 70% of our motor ability comes from our hands.

They caress, they work, they hold, they do everything 24 hours for us. So when I looked at these people, you know, they were going home to their families like I do. And it wasn't just designing a glove at that point. It was designing a protective, a protective measure, and part of them, so that they can go home and hug their children and help them make dinner and help them with homework.

It wasn't just about the job. That's when it took it another level for me. And the commitment went far more than just being able to make a good product, but it made something that allowed people to live life to the fullest with their loved ones.

TONI NEARY: So when it comes to protection from hazards, is there a glove that's one size fits all, so to speak Brian?

BRIAN MOSELEY: No, Toni, but we get that question a lot from the technical support side. There are so many different types of jobs. There's, there's jobs that have chemical hazards. There are jobs that have cut hazards, there are jobs that have puncture hazards. And the list just goes on and on. And that's why the SHOWA product line is so large.

We don't have one glove that fits all. Nobody does. But we do have all different types of variations within the design process to be able to help these types of hazards like we'll talk today with the anti-static gloves. We're dedicated through all of our research and development and technical support to the field to be able to provide that one protection for that end use that those people need to be able to go forth and provide a great job and go home to their families safely.

TONI NEARY: Well, and you mentioned something that I honestly didn't consider as a safety hazard, but you mentioned static buildup. So is that like when I rub my feet against the carpet and I kind of touch something? Why is that something that people want to avoid?

BRIAN MOSELEY: For many reasons. The main reason that these gloves that we'll talk about today is in flammable and explosive type of environments. And that's when, you know, like oxygen can go above like 21.5%, which is kind of what the natural environment is. And once it goes above that, sparks can cause a huge explosion. So, so the gloves that we're talking about today allow that, a spark to not build up, that static not to build up, what's called anti-static and allow that electrons to flow through the person as they're grounded and go into the Earth, so they don't ever make that spark.

TONI NEARY: And I have to say, I have on both the AX200 and the AP800. So I have two different, textures, feels, weight on the gloves, but these feel like I have nothing on. I mean, I could literally just wear these around without a problem. I might get some weird looks for it, but I could wear these around.

I noticed I could scroll through my phone. I could click through anything. Tell me what's so amazing about the anti-static technology from SHOWA?

BRIAN MOSELEY: The ability to be able to use a touch screen with that goes right along with that anti-static property, because what you're wanting to do is make sure that charge and have that conductivity, essentially what's going on. And the market just doesn't demand anymore the glove that will make that protection. We can make those gloves to have that same protection in all different types of configurations.

But you touched on one thing, though, and that was the feel and how comfortable they are. And that's very, very important because like I said, the market is demanding not just the protection but a glove that's comfortable, a worker that's comfortable and doesn't have the, you know, the obstructions of the glove, is a safer worker and they're a more productive worker as well.

So you get a lot of great things, you know, bundled up when you get a glove that does the protection like we want it and designed for, but also where the worker is absolutely, you know, very comfortable. And one thing about it, the glove is not going to give the protection when it doesn't get used. And workers when they're not comfortable, don't tend to like to put on protective equipment.

But when you make it that way, it allows them to, you know, work better. And they, they like to use the product at that point because it has that great feel.

TONI NEARY: Absolutely amazing. Now, I tend to be a little bit of a law and order buff, but I also noticed these don’t leave fingerprints. Why is that important in the industry?

BRIAN MOSELEY: The main thing about the fingerprints is when you go in all different types of industries where they're, you know, having a finished product, whether it's a glass industry, automotive, leaving a fingerprint means there's a residue typically coming out of the glove itself. So it's very important to provide extremely clean gloves, to these, to all types of end users.

And that's why SHOWA does so much washing of the gloves and cleaning of the gloves during the process. We control that process in our manufacturing plants. And that's why leaving fingerprints means there's some contaminant there. And we don't want that contaminant to, you know, hurt any type of process in the end users’ facility, whether it's an aesthetic principle or a chemical principle.

So that's why we really clean these gloves and they'll leave no fingerprints or no markings for any type of, like I said, contamination or just the aesthetic on the finished product.

TONI NEARY: When I think it's amazing, when you look at the amount of time, energy and research that's gone in just in the different nitrile dips that you have and the touch screen and the cut resistant, you know, the touch screen is not just for scrolling Facebook. It's digital calipers. It's we're living in a day and age where you need to be able to have that dexterity.

So, bravo to you and the entire SHOWA team on another amazing development.

BRIAN MOSELEY: Thank you. Thank you. And you know, I'm glad you brought up the coatings. You know, these have microporous nitrile on there. The grip alone. There's so much studying that goes into this microporous nitrile that a couple of these gloves have to provide that surface area and provide that grip in the, in the, in if there's a liquid present.

The reason being is a bad grip is a hazardous grip. But when we're able to provide a good grip to the to the customers with a great feeling glove, that is a grip that's going to protect them, whether it's glassware, whether it's steel they’re handling. And that's another very important point that but we do a lot of innovation with on the coating side alone.

TONI NEARY: Fantastic. Brian, thank you so much for joining us here today again.

BRIAN MOSELEY: Thank you. The pleasure is ours and it's great to see you again.

TONI NEARY: It was so great hanging out with Brian today. If you enjoyed our conversation as much as I did, and you want to see more discussions just like this one, go ahead and subscribe to our channel. To find out more about SHOWA anti-static gloves, visit https://mscdirect.com/showa. Thanks and we'll see you next time on Tooling Up.

Narrator: Want more insights and ideas to improve the efficiency and productivity of your operations? Check out the Tooling Up video playlist to hear tips that can take your company to the next level, and subscribe to our channel so you won't miss out.