Cestusline is pleased to launch its 15th glove made specifically for the oil and gas industry. Responding to the requests of multiple safety managers, the company has created a solution that balances the protection workers need with the comfort and flexibility that encourages them to actually wear the gloves.

The top two concerns of the oil and gas industry for a long time has been impact protection and cut resistance. HMD Cut5 addresses both issues. Cestusline president Elli Choi says: "So many safety engineers are frustrated with the oil industry’s current solution to hand protection." Many sites are still using glorified garden gloves and dealing with expensive workers comp claims as a result. One safety consultant complained to us: "By the time you get a glove with any real protection, you’ve lost all the flexibility in the gloves. It frustrates my guys and it frustrates me."

The HMD Cut5 provides a unique solution to these issues with several extras. HMD Cut5’s base is a lint-free, seamless, cut level 5 glove. For those of you rusty with the cut ratings, gloves are rated for blade cut on a scale of 0 to 5, with 5 being the highest level of protection there is. Cestusline then added their strategically placed segmented TPR impact protection shields which are sewn on to the back of the glove. The strategic placement of the TPR shield allows the wearer to maintain flexibility while protecting the knuckles, metacarpals, and fingers all the way down to the fingertips.

Another HMD Cut5 difference is that it provides full-coverage fingernail protection. "Fingertip protection is rare in the industry, but fingertip injury is common," says an HSE manager at a recent Safety Expo. According to a 2010 article by Sebastin Yeo in Singapore Medical: "One-third of all traumatic injuries affect the hands; the fingertips are the most frequently injured portion of the hand." HMD Cut5’s fingertip shields are flared to encompass the entire fingernail.

The HMD Cut5 palm coating features micro-finished nitrile for a great oil-resistant grip, wet or dry. The partial coating of the glove allows it to remain breathable for the wearer’s comfort. "People who try this glove will never go back to their old cotton gloves," a West Texas drill site manager said recently.

Other extra features of HMD Cut5 include a puncture rating of 3 and an abrasion rating of 4. Also, HMD Cut5 is washable to extend product life. Cestusline recommends hand washing and drip dry.