Whether it’s to stop the transmission of germs or to protect workers’ hands, the use of disposable gloves is vital across multiple sectors in Australia and New Zealand.
One key area is in the food service industry, where the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) Food Standards Code discourages food-handlers from using bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods. As well, workers who have cut their hands or are wearing bandages must wear gloves. This is to reduce instances of food contamination, which can cause contagious gastrointestinal bugs such as norovirus.
There are thought to be around 685 million cases of norovirus worldwide each year, with about 1.8 million of those cases occurring in Australia, many due to contaminated food. Disposable gloves are also essential in many industries where workers need to handle chemicals, such as in factories and cleaning services, as well as in the healthcare sector. Not all disposable gloves are the same, however, and when it comes to deciding which products to procure, there are a number of factors to consider.
Ultimately, you will need to choose between vinyl and nitrile gloves depending on what the gloves are for. If you’re buying for food preparation, for example, you might choose vinyl gloves, which are better for low-risk, short-duration applications. Offering a snug fit and good flexibility, vinyl gloves are generally the most reasonably priced product on the market.
Nitrile gloves, on the other hand, are physically stronger, making them better for higher-risk applications that require longer durations of use, and where chemicals and oils are being handled. Developed as an alternative to latex, which has lost popularity due to an increase in allergy risks, nitrile is chemically complex, involving the mixing of two synthetic polymers in the manufacturing process. This increases cost, but the material’s strong bonds give the gloves their physical strength and chemical resistance. And while less tactile than latex, nitrile gloves are getting ever-thinner without compromise on quality or durability thanks to advances in technology.
The disposable glove market is rapidly expanding but Bunzl maintains an emphasis on quality control, only sourcing from longtime manufacturing partners with proven track records.
