Taking your safety by the hand
At Protec we believe our latest product, the Safe Search Glove, is the newest, safest, cost effective and best PPE glove available on the market today, and here’s why:
Over the past 12 months we have became increasingly aware of a number of Police services enquiring with regards PPE gloves but found our sales of PPE gloves to be slow. Comparing our range of products to various other suppliers, we were happy that our product range was comparable, if not – albeit our own opinion, favourable.
With no obvious answers to hand (pardon the opportunity), we took our enquiries direct to the people that matter. Our follow up enquiries revealed that the available options to Police staff, at that time, were limited in their protective qualities and very expensive. Concerned by the response and with the realisation that Officers were going unprotected, we felt there was no other option than to set about developing a better and more affordable glove.
To summarise, the market offers 2 levels of protection. They are commonly known as ‘slash resistant’ and ‘puncture resistant or needle stick protection’. Good quality slash resistant gloves are available with prices ranging from £13-£30. Puncture resistant gloves can set you back anywhere from ££55-£130. That’s a whopping cost in the region of £68-£160 and with the added inconvenience of having to carry 2 sets of gloves. No glove offered both types of protection.
So, we decided to develop our own glove. This wasn’t quite a stab in the dark because we had already, and very successfully, introduced a slash resistant glove in 2006. But, the new glove had to go further. It had to deliver on a number of key factors. They included comfort, feel and grip together with superior abrasive qualities for everyday use. They also had to deliver a greater level of cut resistance and of paramount importance was puncture resistance. Our number one objective was to produce an affordable glove that eradicated the need for two pairs. A smart uniform glove that could be worn for general patrol whilst affording Officers total protection at all times.
After consultation with several Police Services and Defensive Training Instructors, we have developed a glove that has puncture resistant palms and fingers, combined with slash resistant backs that continue to the cuffs. It is a glove that can be worn for general purpose duties but also offers 360 degree protection.
Following a period of development, we submitted the Safe Search Gloves to SATRA for British Standard in early May 2009 (SATRA are the world’s leading research and technology authority for consumer product testing).We are delighted to announce that the gloves exceed all expectation, returning results that show this new glove is simply one of the best, if not the most appropriate on the market today.
The certification show the gloves achieved maximum levels for abrasion resistance, tear resistance and blade cut resistance. Allowances had to be made for puncture resistance to allow the glove to be workable and dexterous.
It’s important that Officers realise why we didn’t opt for maximum puncture resistance, you simply wouldn’t have been able to grip or feel with the glove. However, our glove does offer a higher level of protection than the rather expensive gloves already used by Police Officers. The glove did achieve level 3 grading which is the 2nd highest grading for puncture resistance and this is a great improvement. Some of the most expensive gloves on the market today actually only achieved level 2 puncture resistance. Gloves with the highest level of protection tend to be made from chainmail and similar materials. In our opinion, they are simply not fit for Police purpose.
We firmly believe that the new glove offers the highest level of protection available in a ‘dexterous glove’ and it is both uniform smart and comfortable.
We hope to make the gloves available for distribution during July 2009 for just £32.95.
No that’s not a typo, £32.95. Pre orders are now being taken for Official Procurement Invoices only.