Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Enterprise Spotlight - Denmark
New glove system reduces the risk of skin disease GloVac has created an intelligent glove system, which not only helps reduce the risk of skin disease; it is also an environmentally friendly solution. By Nicolai Lisberg | Photos: GloVac
Everyone who uses one-time latex or nitrile gloves during a workday knows just how difficult it is to put the gloves on and take them off. It is time-consuming and the gloves often break. As a consequence, the cleaning staff either wear the gloves all the time or not at all. Both options increase the risk of getting eczema or allergies on their hands. “We can see that cleaning staff often wear their gloves up to 80 per cent of an average work day, and that is far too much. Their fingers will be constantly damp and that can lead to developing eczema on their fingers. That’s why we have come up with our intelligent system,” says Klaus Juel Pedersen, CEO of GloVac. 82 | Issue 89 | June 2016
The GloVac gloves are attached to the cleaning trolley. They are stored in a vacuumiser when not in use and by pushing the valve with a finger, the pressure is equalised to release the glove. This way, the gloves are always dry when needed. “With this technique you can put the gloves on and take them off in just two seconds,” says Juel Pedersen. “By making it so easy we hope that people will stop wearing the gloves 80 per cent of the time. The effective time shouldn’t be more than 20 per cent.” Due to the quality of the GloVac gloves, one single pair can last a whole week. In comparison, the one-time gloves often break, so cleaners tend to go through several pairs every week.
Moved on to the industries GloVac has cooperated with cleaning company ISS for years, and now they are implementing their solution fully in the industry. The glove system can be mounted directly on the machines with magnets, on the wall or placed in its own stand. “It’s the same issue,” says Juel Pedersen. “The employees should avoid getting in contact with all kinds of chemicals.” Each year, 1,400 users report cases of eczema and 600 users report cases of allergies on their hands. The damage reports lead to 150 million DKK being paid in compensation each year. “The demand has been there for a long time, but it’s only now that we have the solution for it,” says the CEO. “This way we can protect both the employees and the machines.” For more information, please visit: www.glovac.dk