PUNCTURE RESISTANCE CLOTHING

StabApparel is Cut Resistant Level 5, Puncutre Level 4(best level), Abrasion Resistance Level 4, Tear Resistance Level 4.

EN388:2003 IS THE BENCHMARK AND EUROPEAN TEST STANDARD

WHAT DOES PUNCTURE RESISTANCE MEAN?

At StabApparel we have many different categories of safety clothing and gloves. The Stab Proof and Puncture resistance clothing have ratings measuring their performance when faced with certain hazards and dangerous situations. Puncture resistance is one of those factors tested to determine how good the clothing or glove is at protecting you from puncture hazards real-time.

All StabApparel clothing or gloves has a puncture score, what does that mean and what will a puncture resistant clothing or glove protect you from?

Below are some common queries when it comes to puncture resistant clothing and gloves.

StabApparel Puncture resistant clothing or gloves protect the wearer from punctures, cuts, tearing and abrasions. The Puncture resistant clothing are usually used for promotion against stabbing, knife attack, glass or bottle attacks and much more

While Puncture resistant gloves are usually used to handle sheet metal or glass, in construction, light fabrication, shipping and receiving and for general plant use. However, puncture resistant safety glove does not necessarily protect against hypodermic needles. 

EUROPEAN EN338 TEST STANDARD – HOW PUNCTURE RESISTANCE IS MEASURED AND THE BENCHMARK

The European EN388 Standards use regulation testing to test and analyse clothing and gloves performance against hazards and puncture resistance. They are then rated according to their performance using details below. There are strict guidelines and testing practices in place to ensure puncture resistant gloves are of optimal quality and offer enough protection against hazards. After testing the clothing are given an EN388 rating with a four digit number as a score for the tested hazard in the format EN388 abcd or level 0-4. NB: Level 4 is the highest level.

These letters correspond to the following hazards:

  • a = resistance to abrasion (0 – 4)
  • b = blade cut resistance (0 – 5)
  • c = tear resistance (0 – 4)
  • d = puncture resistance (0 – 4)

Most clothing and gloves are made up of more than one layer of fabric. During the European EN388 Standards regulation testing, all layers of fabric are tested together to measure puncture resistance as one garment. This puncture test is carried out on a sample of four different clothing and an average of the Newtons that the samples can withstand is taken to reach the overall performance level.

Rating of clothingLevel 0Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5
Puncture Resistance (Newtons)<10 ≥ 10≥ 20≥ 60≥ 100≥ 150

EUROPEAN EN338 TEST STANDARD AND THE BENCHMARK : PUNCTURE RESISTANT IS NOT NECESSARILY NEEDLE STICK RESISTANT

NB: Please note that the test conducted to determine the puncture resistance of a safety clothing or glove is not an indication of the resistance to piercing with a sharp pointed object like a hypodermic needle or a fine shard of glass.

For needle hazards, you would need to consider a needle stick resistant clothing.

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NB: Needle stick resistant clothing can be puncture resistant, but it does not follow that every puncture resistant clothing is needle stick resistant.

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StabApparel is made using Saints fabric UHMWPE composite material clothing

Uhmwpe material is an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene – Chemical Compound (UHMWPE) UHMWPE is a subset of the thermoplastic polyethylene. It has extremely long chains resulting in a very tough material, with high impact strength.