Fine dust on gloves transfers to faces, phones, door handles, and food. The goal is simple: keep contamination on the glove exterior, remove it safely, and prevent it moving into clean areas.

Set up the workflow

• Define a glove zone with a clear dirty-to-clean flow and a bin at the exit for disposables.
• Adopt a clean-hand/dirty-hand method for removing one glove at a time without touching skin.
• Place a vacuum point at the boundary so gloves can be de-dusted before removal.

Use the right equipment and method

• Vacuum gloves slowly from wrist to fingertips; avoid tapping or blowing. For frequent use, a unit such as the MAXVAC Supra vacuums offers practical, controlled removal.
• Where respirable crystalline silica is present, specify high-efficiency filtration (H14 for fine or carcinogenic dusts) so what you remove isn’t re-released.
• Choose PPE gloves with cuff designs that minimise ingress and are easy to doff without skin contact.

Behaviour that stops transfer

• No glove-to-face contact. Provide nose itch sticks or tissues in the zone.
• Keep phones out; provide a clean clipboard or site tablet kept in the clean area.
• Wash or sanitise hands after glove removal, then handle food, keys, or vehicles.

Maintenance and replacement

• Replace damaged or dust-logged gloves; laundering may move contamination if not controlled.
• Clean the vacuum tool and change filters per manufacturer guidance; check airflow under load, not free-air figures.

Practical takeaways

• Vacuum gloves before doffing; never blow or shake.
• Single-direction flow with bins at the exit prevents backtracking.
• Specify filtration to match the hazard; H14 for fine respirable risks.
• Train the clean-hand/dirty-hand method until it’s automatic.

These steps reduce cross-contamination at source and support COSHH duties where the UK WEL for respirable silica is very low (0.1 mg/m³), meaning small amounts matter.