ISO DIS 18639-4

Description / Abstract: This International Standard provides the principles that govern the development of incident type and/or hazard specific test methods and minimum performance requirements for protective gloves for firefighters while engaged in specialist rescue activities.

Gloves related to specific specialist rescue activities are documented in individual subsections of this Standard, e.g. 6.2 Road Traffic Crash, (RTC) and 6.3 Urban Search Rescue, (USAR).

NOTE For further guidance refer ISO 18639-1 General Requirements.

The purpose of this International Standard is to ensure minimum performance requirements for incident type and/or hazard specific protective gloves are designated. Therefore, ISO 18639-3 will be divided into broad rescue activity categories. This document deals with “Rescue from Emergencies involving modes of Transportation” in particular performance requirements for personal protective equipment (PPE) to be used by firefighters, primarily but not solely to protect against hazard exposure at Non Fire rescue activities involving Road Traffic Crash (RTC’s) or Motor Vehicle Accidents (MVA’s).

Subsections of this International Standard cover general glove design, the minimum performance level of the materials used and the methods of test for determining this performance level.

Subsections of this International Standard do not cover special gloves for use in other high risk situations such as firefighting.

Subsections of this International Standard do not cover protection for the head, torso, arms, legs and feet which are covered in other parts of ISO 18639 or protection of the hands against other hazards, e.g. chemical, biological, radiation and electrical hazards, except for limited, accidental exposure to fire ground chemicals and blood or body fluids.

Selection of the appropriate system of Personal Protective Equipment, (PPE), including gloves, is dependent on carrying out an effective risk assessment which identifies the hazard to be faced, evaluates the likelihood of those hazards and provides the means of reducing or eliminating these hazards.