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A Guide to Chemical Protective Clothing and Gloves

Announcement posted by RCR International Pty Ltd 14 Dec 2010

What to protetive clothing wear when working with chemicals?
When working in a research laboratory, within the chemical cleanup industry or in any job where there is exposure to dangerous chemicals, the health and well-being of your employees is of paramount concern. Whether it is chemical protective clothing for the field or white lab coats for the laboratory, employee safety is easy to maintain when working with potentially hazardous chemicals.


Protection For Your Employees

The major areas of concern when it comes to chemical exposure are contact with eyes and skin. While the eyes are protected with safety goggles, skin exposure is prevented with chemical protective clothing. Think of the usual cliche of the scientist, pocket protectors, and a large, white lab coat. That coat represents the first line of defense between the scientist and harmful chemical exposure.

White lab coats first protect from exposure to harmful, chemical dust. Within the lab, when a scientist is working with chemicals in powder form a dust mask is worn to prevent inhalation of the chemicals. Without chemical protective clothing, the scientist can carry the dust out of the laboratory in their regular clothing. Without a protective dust mask, inhalation of chemicals becomes possible as well. White lab coats can be disposed of well before the risk becomes a reality.

Disposable chemical protective clothing also provides some protection against splash hazards. For workers working with spray resins or paints, full body garments prevent any skin exposure or transfer of chemicals into safe inhalation and contact zones.

Disposable Laboratory Clothing

The biggest feature of these items of protective clothing is their disposable nature. Most disposable clothing garments are made from recycled content, providing safety while being inexpensive to manufacture. When purchased cheaply through a supplier, these garments can easily be discarded after use to minimize cleaning costs, especially in environments where bulk chemical exposure can occur, such as automotive painting, machine shop operations, chemical cleanup, and so on.

Various Levels Of protection

Depending upon the work environment, the level and target areas of exposure vary. The available protective clothing items available also differ. From protective hoods, shoes, and sleeves that protect where brush exposure may occur, to white lab coats and pants for laboratory work, and full body suits where exposure to any part of the body can be hazardous, the line of available chemical protective clothing is quite significant. No matter the model, when exposure occurs, all one needs to do is dispose of the protective garment.

Any worker whose job involves exposure to harmful chemicals should have the opportunity to protect their health with disposable protective clothing. Industries that make the well-being of their employees a top concern should provide chemical protective clothing and white lab coats to ensure the safety of employees who work with potentially hazardous chemicals. From lab coats to disposable full body suits, disposable protective clothing is a cost effective way to protect your valuable employees.


Pro-Val range of lab and dust coats provide effective and comfortable protection for the wearer. The Pro-Val Lab Coat is made from non woven polypropylene for good breathability has elastic cuffs, one chest pocket and three velcro closures, and also comes in a "no pocket at all" version for processing areas. This lab coat is suited for dry area use only.

The Pro-Val ProLab is also made from non woven polypropylene for good breathability. It is our premium white coat, extra long with knitted cuffs, three pockets and press stud closures. 1170mm long from shoulder.

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The Hazguard MP4 and MP5 coveralls are suitable for chemical cleanup. The MP4 coverall is a waterproof disposable coverall, made from breathable microporous fabric, with ultrasonic seams creating a waterproof barrier. The coverall has excellent strength and tear resistance, certified to Type 4, 5 and 6 protection levels.

The Hazguard MP5 coverall is water resistant, made from a breathable microporous fabric, with stitched seams fro extra strength. It is certified to protection levels 5 and 6, also with excellent abrasion and tear resistance.

Pro-Val also have a good range of chemical resistant gloves. Our nitrile range of gloves are best suited for working with chemicals. The Nitegreen 15 us a high quality 100% nitrile flock lined glove, providing resistance to a wide range of chemicals. Due to its thickness, it also provides protection against abrasion and snags.

The Nitrile 46's are 100% nitrile elbow length gloves, making them an ideal chemical resistant glove. Strong, durable and particularly good resistance against petroleum based solvents, oils and greases.

Pro-Val Nitesafe 100% nitrile examination gloves are powder free, with beaded cuff for extra strength when donning. This glove has a broad range of chemical resistance, particularly petroleum based chemicals.

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For more information on our Pro-Val glove range and their performance reactions against an extensive range of chemicals please refer to our chemical resistant chart. This information should be used for reference purpose only. User must proceed with caution when handling chemicals.