The EN 60903 standard specifies the requirements, test methods, marking, information supplied by the manufacturer for insulating gloves. First line of defence against electrical and/or live risks. They can be used as direct protection, for contact work, or secondary protection, in conjunction with insulating tools. Generally, these are not chemical resistance gloves. Nonetheless, they must guarantee electrical protection even after having come into contact with certain chemical substances or been exposed to external agents.
Their classification changes in relation to the usage voltage of the glove. As the Class changes, the thickness of the elastomer changes, used for manufacturing, and possibly its length.
The standard sets forth that the insulating gloves can feature other properties in addition to those typically electric and classifies them in categories:
Cat. A: resistance against the chemical aggressiveness of acids.
Cat. H: resistance against the aggressiveness of oil.
Cat. Z: resistance to ozone.
Cat. R: combined performance, including characteristics of the gloves of category A, H and Z (therefore: resistance to acid, oil and ozone).
Cat. C: use in very low temperatures (tested at – 40 °C).
For each of these categories, the standard envisages to perform dielectric, mechanical and thermal tests.
