‘Terminator’ Glove Cuts Injuries For GE Sheet Metal Workers

Apioneering effort by IUE-CWA Local 83761 in Louisville, Ky., has led to a new safety glove for sheet metal workers that GE plans to make available nationwide.

The "Terminator" glove, made of material similar to that used in bulletproof vests, has cut nearly in half the number of serious cuts reported among the 1,300 workers who manufacture dishwashers at GE's Appliance Park — from 42 in 2004 to just 22 in 2006. Previously, workers wore only a plain cloth glove.

Two years ago, Jerry Carney, the local's health and safety representative, went to his counterpart in the company, Jim Alsop, to talk about ways to reduce the injuries. They decided to test the new glove.

"The Terminator glove is made of Dyneema, a cutproof fabric similar to Kevlar, only light and breathable," Carney said. "You can pick up screws with it. It's a very worker-friendly glove."

He arranged for 150 pairs to be tested throughout the park, which employs about 2,600 IUE-CWA members. In one building they make refrigerators. In another, washing machines. All of the work involves sharp-edged pieces of metal.

Each shift in each building has its own health and safety committee with at least one union representative, Carney said. The feedback on the glove was positive except for one worker who had a reaction to latex used in the cuff band. The company then got the manufacturer to make the glove with a latex-free elastic.

The Terminator glove costs about three times more than the conventional gloves members had been using. But Carney said they can be worn as long as 10 days, "then be washed and recycled at a cost of only 90 cents." GE wants to make it available nationwide.

Carney said members' involvement in safety and health issues has made a critical difference. "People can come in to the central environmental health and safety office and have access to anything they need — Kevlar gloves, Terminator gloves, safety glasses," he said.

The relationship between the union and company has been a healthy one, with lower overall illness and injury stats throughout the park, Carney said. The reportable lost-time incidents per 100 workers dropped from 9.84 in 2004 to 5.87 in 2006.