The Hidden Cost of One-Glove-Fits-All Safety Programs

Standardized glove programs may simplify procurement, but they can increase injury risk, reduce worker compliance, and drive up long-term costs. Manufacturers are finding that task-specific hand protection delivers better safety and operational performance.

• By Rodney Taylor
• Aug 06, 2026

Approximately 70% of workers who sustain hand injuries are not wearing gloves at the time of the accident. Another 30% of those injured are wearing gloves, but the gloves are inadequate, damaged, or ill-suited to the hazard, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) (ISHN 2015).

Manufacturing is built on efficiency, quality, and repeatability. Nearly every manufacturing task—whether assembly, machining, maintenance, or fabrication—is performed with hands. That reality creates a critical paradox: hands are both the most valuable tools in manufacturing and the most frequently injured.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and OSHA data, hands and fingers account for a significant share of recordable workplace injuries. Many of these injuries result in days away from work, long recovery times, and high workers' compensation costs.

Despite this, hand protection is often treated as a commodity. It is frequently managed through one-glove-fits-all programs that prioritize SKU reduction and unit price over injury risk.

So, who bears this potential risk of injury?

OSHA's Hand Protection regulation (29 CFR 1910.138) outlines the general requirements that employers must consider when selecting hand protection equipment. There are two important considerations in the regulation:

• The responsibility to select the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) falls squarely on the employer.
• Employers are expected to select hand protection based on task, conditions, duration of use, and hazards—not convenience or standardization.

OSHA requires employers to demonstrate that glove selection is tied to hazard assessment and job tasks, rather than a universal product used across an entire facility. When injuries occur, OSHA routinely reviews whether appropriate task-specific PPE was selected. Failure to do so can result in citations or fines.

In other words, a single glove used across multiple manufacturing departments is misaligned with OSHA expectations—by design.

Manufacturing Is Not One Job—So Why One Glove?

According to the National Association of Manufacturers, there are 18 million people employed by around 240,000 manufacturers in the US and Canada.

In manufacturing, tradespeople and production workers are hands-on experts who keep factories running smoothly and delivering reliable product across a wide range of industries. Trades handle the technical and mechanical work that keeps equipment running, while production teams focus on building, assembling, and keeping output on track.

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2026 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.

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