Are there certain jobs that require hand protection?

The type of glove used must be based on the hazards present and the type of work environment. As such, OSHA does not provide a list of jobs that require hand protection. The agency provides some guidance in the preamble to the April 1994 final rule in Section III - Summary and Explanation of the Final Rule:

“Paragraph (a) requires that employers select, and that employees use, appropriate hand protection. In addition, paragraph (a) identifies some of the types of hazards for which hand protection must be worn by employees. These include hand hazards and potential hand hazards from skin absorption of harmful substances; severe cuts or lacerations; severe abrasions; punctures; chemical burns; thermal burns; and harmful temperature extremes.

“Paragraph (b) addresses the selection of the appropriate type of hand protection for the hazard or potential hazard that is present at the workplace. The purpose of this provision is to assure that employees are using the appropriate type of gloves for the tasks to be performed. For example, foundry workers generally must wear gloves that provide thermal protection, while meat cutters must wear gloves that protect against cuts. While the selection of the appropriate type of glove for a certain task or hazard may seem to be obvious, the rulemaking record indicates that many hand injuries have occurred because the wrong type of glove was used for a certain task.“