1oTrimestre15 | PROTECCIÓN LABORAL 82 Updated products Protecting hands against extreme temperatures in cold environments Hands are mankind’s most important tools, enabling us to work, adapt and be versatile. Skin is the human body’s largest organ, plays a role in regulat- ing our body temperature, and is the greatest sensory. Taking into account the risks and con- straints of working in negative (-0°) and positive (+0°) cold temperatures, the introduction of the Temres 282 and Nitrile Foam 477 gloves were driven by more ergonomic and physiological considerations. “To this end we have incorporated again the innovation leadership and the latest technologies with the aim to guarantee the best possible protection for workers in those thermal environ- ments”, a Showa’s spokesman says. Once again Showa has innovated. The Showa’s R & D team wanted, with the development of a new proprietary tech- nology, designing a glove capable to keeping the hands warm in cold envi- ronments while using an unprecedent- ed extraordinarily flexible polymer in conditions of cold temperatures, since polymers that are exposed to low tem- peratures tend to become rigid, so that the gloves lose immediately its supple- ness and ergonomic properties; water- proofing to compensate for the aggra- vating factors of water and dampness; anticipation of aggravating wind chill levels, as the wind, due to its speed, increases the body’s exposure to temperatures that are even lower than the ambient temperature; the risk of frostbite; the inconve- nience, discomfort and consequences of evaporation of the perspiration of the hands, etc. That performanc is usually found in current market gloves, where cold protective gloves are projected disregarding that sweat inside the glove entails a detrimental problem. ·Temres 282 The cold professional businesses have finally obtained, due to the Research and Development of Showa, a model of glove adapted to their environments. Temres 282, the first really cold insulating glove with total waterproofing and breathabili- ty properties, with optimal ther- moregulation, which is also consid- ered the most flexible and most sensitive glove on the market; more- over ensuring the same flexibility of the polymer at low temperatures. This new model features an acrylic nylon insulated lining and a micro- ventilated polyurethane coating. The Temres technology is based on a breathable membrane which is placed between the coating and the lining. The most relevant of this innovative waterproof-breathable technology lies in the isolated acrylic lining, as well as the full double coating of polyurethane, or the nitrile outer finish with micro- roughed profile. Other key factors are the hand shape anatomical design and the knit fabric. Among the benefits, it may be high- lighted the membrane, which keeps water out of the glove, allowing the hot air and mois- ture from inside to evaporate. 71