06/12/2022

Eric Vallery: "A safety glove that restricts the user can cause more injuries".

Generally assumed, work gloves have one primary task – to protect hands from injury.

At Guide, we develop premium quality work gloves that both strengthen protection and improve performance for professional users with the help of leading technology, user-centered product development and a distinct focus on new ideas. Eric Vallery, Head of Innovation at Guide Gloves, knows that inadequate protective gloves can have a negative impact on productivity, workforce turnover and business profitability.

A workplace injury can be expensive. Above all, it can be a personal tragedy for the affected person, who in addition to sick leave may experience persistent or even chronic discomfort after the injury.

Eric Vallery is widely endorsed for his in-depth knowledge and extensive expertise in hand protection with a focus on specific industries. For him, it is absolutely essential that protective gloves are provided to employees who may be exposed or potentially exposed to workplace hazards.

However, it is not just protection that should be considered when choosing work gloves. There are reasons why a CFO or even a CEO should be as interested in the choice of protective gloves as the safety representative. Gloves, specifically developed based on the company's risk situation, also ensure optimal productivity and quality of end products.

-  An ultimate work glove should not only provide good protection. If it is not flexible enough, it can lead to a productivity loss of several percentage points, or even worse, can result in accidents and injuries for employees neglecting safety and performing tasks with the wrong gloves, or without any protective gloves at all. In addition to loss of productivity, the work glove that limits hand movement can lead to more injuries, says Eric Vallery.

The human hand is one of our most important tools. Therefore, it is important that the protective gloves used in a workplace are adapted to the specific work steps. Eric and the colleagues in the Guide’s product development team often visit customers to develop protective gloves together with them.

-  All workplaces have their own challenges and specific conditions. As industry-leading innovators, we at Guide need to know the customer better than anyone else. Innovation is not just about pioneering. The innovation must also fill a real value and overcome the customer's challenges, says Eric Vallery.