Posted By Linda Westrupp Hi everyone, We banned the use of latex disposable gloves for personal care work last year and switched to nitrile. We have found the quality of these gloves extremely variable with some batches splitting while you are trying to put them on (these have no stretch at all). We also now have a member of staff who claims they are causing an allergic reaction in that she is getting a rash when wearing them (which she says she never did when using latex). Has anyone else had these problems? If so, how did you solve them? All contributions welcome Linda

Posted By Jim Walker I had a problem with gloves splitting. Contacted the supplier and it turned out to be a manufacturing fault. All OK now. Never heard of a problem with reactions, might it be "sweat rash". So many trivial common complaints are lumped as allergies these days. Everyone seems to want an allergy.

Posted By Diane Thomason We stopped stocking powdered latex gloves too, and recommended nitrile for laboratory use. We have had no reported problems with splitting or lack of stretchiness - maybe you just need to try a few different brands. According to the guidance from the Infection Control Nurses Association, latex gloves (unpowdered) are the glove of choice for protection against blood-borne infections. Nitrile however is reported to give very good protection too. Nitrile also gives better protection against common lab chemicals than latex. People need to be reminded however, that thin disposable gloves are sold as "examination gloves" - that's what they were originally intended for - and because of their thinness, basically they give burger all protection against chemicals. So in a situation where there is likely exposure to hazardous chemicals people need a thicker non-disposable glove, chosen by reference to a chemical resistance chart. There is no such thing as a good all-rounder glove for these situations. Jim is right, people tend to assume that these skin irritations are allergies but they usually turn out not to be. Allergy to nitrile gloves has been recorded but is very rare. Again if nitrile is your chosen glove material I recommend shopping around - the good quality ones we use are fine. HTH & happy POETS day Diane

Posted By John D Crosby David Where and when did HSE say that banning latex gloves may not be the best option? I am involved in looking for an alternative but some procedures with non latex gloves may be putting people at risk of infection. Cheers John C

Posted By Anthony Cassidy This is for info only:- I recall reading a medical document on microbiology that advised against the use of handcreams when wearing gloves and were repeated washing is required because of the increased risk for dermatitus.