The medical or healthcare industry was the first industry to introduce and adopt disposable gloves. Actually the first medical industry was also the first industry to introduce gloves in the late 19th century. These were reusable latex gloves and it was not until the mid 1960s that the first disposable latex gloves were introduced by Ansell.

Nowadays disposable gloves are used in all types of industries and professions. But we still have specially designed and approved disposable gloves for the healthcare industry and these are referred to as medical grade gloves.

The United Sates Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees the testing and approval of all medical grade gloves. Disposable gloves for other industrial applications are referred to as industry or industrial grade gloves. The testing and approval of industry grade gloves is overseen by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA).

Disposable gloves are now used in many industries and fields including the agricultural field, which encompasses farming, ranching, agriculture, and veterinary science. Today we are going to look at the four main reasons why veterinarians don disposable gloves when working.

To Prevent Personal Contamination

As we have repeatedly stated in this blog, the main reason for wearing disposable gloves at work is to prevent contamination and cross contamination. Contamination is one-sided in that you only contaminate another subject or object or that object or subject contaminates you. Cross contamination works both ways whereby you can contaminate an object or subject and the same object can contaminate you. Veterinarians are exposed to all kinds of bacteria and germs when treating animals. They also come into contact with the chemicals in the drugs that they give to the sick animals. To prevent cross contamination while treating animals, veterinarians wear high quality disposable gloves like miracle exam gloves while working. These gloves protect the hands from the germs and other contaminants that are in their work areas.

To Prevent Animal Contamination

Veterinarians use disposable gloves to avoid contamination in the workplace. As we have already stated, veterinarians are exposed to germs and other disease-causing pathogens when treating sick animals. But the veterinarian can also have an infection, such as a raw wound, on his hand. The germs in this raw wound can be transferred to the sick animal during treatment. To avoid contaminating the animal with his own germs, the veterinarian should wear disposable gloves at all times during treatment.

To Keep The Hands Clean

Veterinary work is not a joy ride. Veterinarians come into contact with all manner of messy things when treating animals. They have to insert their hands in many unsavory places and remove all kinds of stuff. To keep their hands clean and healthy in the course of their work, veterinarians should always wear a pair of high quality gloves.

To Avoid Physical Injury

Sick animals are injected with various drugs using scary syringes. Veterinarians also perform operations and dissections on sick animals. They use sharp tools and equipment in the course of their work. They also come into contact with many chemicals as they administer drugs to the sick animals. All these physical and chemical hazards can cause serious physical and chemical injuries to their hands. Specially designed heavy-duty gloves made from nitrile or latex can protect their hands from all these physical and chemical hazards.