It is undeniable that whether in the food industry or medical healthcare facilities, disposable gloves have significant purposes of keeping the wearers protected since gloves provide the necessary barrier to keep the wearers&#; hands secured all the time.
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Moreover, although all the disposable gloves have similarities, they differ since they need to adapt and become suitable in any industry. Besides that, medical gloves are safe to utilize as food prep gloves since they have passed the quality standards regarding safety and quality.
However, food prep gloves and medical gloves still have differences. Know about them, so keep on reading.
Food Gloves vs. Medical Gloves
Although medical gloves can work as food gloves since they are safe and have passed the standards, specific qualifications and characteristics still differentiate them.
For instance, food prep gloves are disposable yet made from quality materials to afford uncompromising protection from contamination and stop the spread of germs and bacteria from foods and utensils in the kitchen. That&#;s why it is essential to choose food prep gloves made with antimicrobial agent properties to limit the growth of microorganisms while preparing food.
In addition, food prep gloves prevent problems with food safety and health. When food industry workers handle foods, they work in different varieties, such as spicy, sour, and raw meat ingredients that can make bare hands uncomfortable. Thus, food prep gloves address and solve the struggles of foul odors sticking with hands.
On the other hand, medical gloves, such as exams and surgical gloves, must pass the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for safety, quality, durability, and other health and safety requirements. Strict standards and compliance for protective gear, such as medical gloves, are required since medical professionals deal with bloodborne pathogens, dangerous chemicals, and sharp medical tools.
Hence, the extra strength and durability standard for medical gloves differ from food prep gloves. Aside from that, hospitals and other healthcare facilities have color-coding in using medical gloves to categorize them and what tasks they suit.
For example, pink medical gloves are meant to promote breast cancer awareness. Meanwhile, purple gloves are sometimes utilized by medical professionals for chemotherapy. The black gloves are for medical professionals who want to cover up the messes they are dealing with in their jobs.
Lastly, light-colored medical gloves, such as blue and white, are ideal for offering convenience for inspecting the gloves. These gloves colors allow the medical professionals to spot any holes or damage within the gloves quickly. Plus, they can also easily detect if there&#;s any contamination. With that, they can immediately get a new pair of gloves from the glove dispenser to ensure safety compliance.
After knowing the significant difference between the food gloves and medical gloves, let&#;s go and check the glove materials suitable for both industries.
Glove Materials
There are several materials suitable and approved for the food and healthcare industries. While no one of them is perfectly designed and made, they fit and are appropriate for specific tasks. So, here are the materials to consider for medical and food prep gloves:
Latex gloves have earned popularity for excellent reasons, whether in the food industry or healthcare industry. For hospitals and healthcare facilities, disposable gloves made from latex offer extremely durable protective barriers from exposure to dangerous medical components and bloodborne pathogens.
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Aside from that, they are known for being ideally environmentally friendly, proving why they are cost-effective. In addition, both industries are favorable in using latex gloves because they offer high resistance to puncturing, comfortability, and incredible touch sensitivity.
However, the concerns with the latex gloves about allergic reactions and skin sensitivity are evident in both industries. That&#;s why latex gloves alternatives are rising in popularity. Nonetheless, latex gloves can undoubtedly suit every wearer with no latex allergy because of their incredible protection, versatility, and durability.
Gloves made from nitrile materials are one of the best latex-free gloves alternatives. Nitrile gloves are among the most used disposable gloves that offer no allergic reactions and skin irritations that make the wearers feel uncomfortable doing their jobs.
In addition, nitrile gloves for food industries are ideal because of their incredible durability and high puncture resistance. With that glove&#;s characteristics, nitrile gloves are suitable to be utilized by food industry workers for food preparation that involves fatty meats, citrus, and oils.
Meanwhile, nitrile gloves for hospitals and healthcare settings are favorable because of their high durability and quality for high protection against dangerous chemicals in their medical works. Plus, they help stop the growth and spread of cross-contamination. Thus, nitrile gloves are great protective gear to maintain patients&#; and medical professionals&#; health and safety.
Vinyl gloves are excellent disposable gloves for hospitals and healthcare settings because of their most affordable cost without compromising any quality and durability. However, gloves made from vinyl are not that highly favored in the food industry because they are made with PVC. So, despite having excellent tactile sensitivity and fit.
Now, going back to the medical industry, vinyl gloves are only ideal for particular tasks of light medical procedures and non-contaminated exams. With that being said, vinyl gloves are best for non-contaminated areas and for cleaning purposes, such as taking care of patients using incontinence products since they can ensure protection against dangerous chemical exposure.
Polyethylene gloves are known for their loosened fit, just how food workers wanted their disposable gloves to be. In addition, disposable gloves made from polyethylene are only best to utilize in food prepping industries because of their durability. Besides that, they allow quick and convenient changing of gloves when needed.
Other than that, polyethylene gloves are incredibly comfortable and breathable. More importantly, they are suitable for food prepping that doesn&#;t highly require dexterity.
Final Thoughts
Indeed, no one can deny how valuable gloves can be in preventing the growth of bacteria and contamination, plus their incredible protection to offer. Hence, even food industries are utilizing them to ensure health and safety compliance. However, as gloves are meant for one-time use, any industry shouldering the high cost to consistently provide those disposable gloves.
Fortunately, we at AvaCare Medical know the rising demands of disposable gloves, and because of that, we are offering bulk discounts and deals. To know more about that, contact us at or call us at 1-877-813-.
In the Industrial workplace, the overall answer is no difference. The gloves are generally made on the exact same machines with the exact same formulation and, therefore, the same performance. So, for use in general work environments in tasks such as food service, janitorial, automotive, manufacturing, assembly, poultry or agricultural applications, you can use either a disposable glove labeled as &#;Industrial Use Only&#; or a disposable glove labeled as &#;Medical Examination&#; glove.
However, it is not just the same glove in a different box. When it comes to Medical Use, there is a difference. The difference is in the Acceptable Quality Limit or AQL. The lower the AQL, the more stringent the glove is inspected for defects such as pinholes.
The difference is that the Quality Control and Quality Assurance testing levels are more stringent for Medical Exam Grade gloves. The AQL, or Acceptable Quality Limit, for Medical Exam Gloves (Class One Medical Devices) must be 2.5 or lower. Simply put, this means there has to be less than 2.5 defects in a batch of 100 gloves to pass. The facility where the glove is made must be authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration with a 510K License Agreement to produce Class One Medical Devices. This license is granted after a stringent auditing process of Good Manufacturing Practices performed periodically by FDA.
FDA requires that the AQL for an Industrial Disposable glove can be 4.0 or less for defects such as cosmetic blemishes and holes. For a Medical Examination glove, it must be 2.5 or less. Many Exam gloves are manufactured at an AQL of 1.5 or even lower, which is even better.
The best way of remembering what AQL stands for is this: FDA sets a LIMIT on what is ACCEPTABLE for the number of defects allowable in a glove labeled as an exam glove. The LIMIT is 2.5 or lower. If our QUALITY CONTROL finds more than 2.5 defects such as holes in a batch of gloves, that is above the LIMIT and is NOT ACCEPTABLE. Steps must be taken to remedy the QC issue.
Anything less than the ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LIMIT of 2.5 is even better. An AQL of 1.5 means very good quality and minimal risk of a hole where Bloodborne Pathogens or other dangerous drugs, such as Fentanyl Citrate or other materials might penetrate and expose the skin of the hands.
You should not use a glove labeled as &#;Industrial Use Only&#; with an AQL of 4 in a situation where body fluids or dangerous drugs may be encountered. On the other hand, using a Medical Exam Glove with an AQL of 1.5 in an Industrial setting means a higher level of quality and protection and enhanced safety.
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