Made for Heroes
After a Europe wide tender the 60.000 members of THW Technisches Hilfswerk (German Urban Search and Rescue Association) are better protected by means of their new safety glove manufactured by SEIZ. Due to its innovative design and the use of DuPont Kevlar® and Nomex® plus membrane of Gore-Tex®, the THW glove offers state of the art multi functional protection combined with a new level of dexterity and high comfort.
In the specification of the tender the THW committee for personal protective apparel had defined all situations of urban search and rescue ranging from cold weather and rain to exposure to sharp, rough and hot surfaces which unavoidably have to be dealt with in case of emergency. The hazard analysis took into account the broad range of activities performed by the rescue workers, e. g. the contact with stone, galvanized or rusty iron, the handling of rope made of natural fibres, manmade fibres or steel, or the movement of scaffolding. In addition the direct contact with oily fluids and lubricants had to be accounted for.
Multi functional protection
The ergonomically designed glove satisfied the requirements of THW to withstand all these hazards. The inside part of the glove is made of selected tough split leather with high temperature resistance and water repellence. The glove has good abrasion properties and offers a good grip even on slick surfaces. Due to the inner lining of DuPont Kevlar a high level of cut resistance is achieved. The back hand is made of a flame resistant fabric of DuPont Nomex with an applied felt of Kevlar which increases the safety against contact heat, perforation and cuts. A cuff made of black coloured Kevlar endless filament yarn offers pulse protection.
DuPont Kevlar– the key to success
“From the very start of our conceptual work it had been clear that only high end performing material combined with up to date sandwich design technology would enable us to meet all the properties described in the tender“, says Rainer Seiz, owner and head designer of Friedrich Seiz GmbH. He and his company based near Stuttgart, Germany, claim a Europe wide renowned record of tailor made hand protection solutions for fire fighters, police and diverse branches of the industries. Whenever outstanding cut and stitch resistance is required the DuPont Kevlar brand fibre is the key to success. Extremely tear resistant Kevlar offers a manifold strength. In addition Kevlar maintains its mechanical performance up to 320 Celsius. Yarns, fleeces and fabrics made of Kevlar are available in a range of pigmented colours and diverse weights and qualities to provide a top-notch solution to any problem at hand.
In the THW glove three different products made with Kevlar fibres add up to a maximum of performance. The inner lining consists of an extremely fine and tightly knitted fabric to enable the required cut resistance at minimum bulk. On the back hand a fine layer of felt of Kevlar® applied to the fabric of Nomex serves as a high end perforation protection as well and adds heat protective properties. Finally the cuff made of endless Kevlar filament yarn is cut and abrasion resistant and is a soak-barrier to rain due to the low degree of water absorption of the fibre.
Low weight and high degree of dexterity
Despite its multi functional protective properties the SEIZ-THW glove presents itself as a low weight champion of only 5 ounces/150 gram with high dexterity qualities which enable a tight grip on tools like hammer, screw driver and wrench as well as easy handling of technical equipment, plugs and computer keyboards. The outstanding tactile performance of the glove is given even at temperatures below the freezing point due to the special fabric composition and the Gore-Tex membrane. „The unique combination of dexterity and temperature isolation of the SEIZ-THW glove might even stir skiers’ blood“, hints Rainer Seiz to the overall versatility of this high-tech all-rounder which has raised the bar of hand protection and comfort to a new height.
