Gloves for spraying, fertilizing and liming. A guide for orchardists and farmers

On a farm, the same person often does all three jobs in the same week, wearing the same gloves. That's a mistake, because the hazard is different in each case, and a glove that works great for liming won't give the protection required by regulations when handling a concentrated crop protection product. Below, concretely: what the standard says, where the line falls, and what to look for when buying.

The short answer

Spraying is covered by a separate standard, ISO 18889, which divides gloves into three types: G1 for ready-to-use spray liquid, G2 for concentrates, GR solely for re-entry work in a sprayed field. That standard doesn't apply to mineral fertilizers or liming, where a good-quality nitrile glove of the right weight and length is enough, because the hazard there is dust and a strongly alkaline reaction, not pesticide permeation. A nitrile glove is also the right choice for treated seed and for operating and repairing machinery.

Spraying: why an ordinary chemical-resistant glove isn't enough

Until 2019, farmers chose gloves for crop protection products the same way they did for any other chemical, meaning under EN ISO 374-1. The problem is that the permeation test method used in that standard, described in EN 16523-1, isn't suitable for pesticides, because their components usually can't be detected by that method.

That's why ISO 18889:2019 was created, a standard setting out requirements for protective gloves for crop protection product operators and re-entry workers. It establishes minimum requirements for the performance, classification and marking of gloves protecting hands, or hands and forearms, against contact with crop protection products. It doesn't cover protection against fumigants and is applied together with ISO 21420.

The key difference is that ISO 18889 tests cumulative permeation using the ISO 19918 method, with a surrogate substance called EC-DY, a solution containing the dye Disperse Yellow 26, which mimics pesticide behaviour. The amount of substance that has passed through the material is measured in micrograms per square centimetre.

On top of that come supporting requirements. G1 must meet at least type C under ISO 374-1, G2 at least type B, and GR level 2 against the chemical marked with the letter K, meaning forty percent sodium hydroxide. G1 and GR must additionally pass an air and water tightness test under EN 374-2. GR gloves aren't intended for the person carrying out the application, only for those who come into contact with dried residue on plants.

There's also a detail almost nobody mentions, and it decides how effective the whole outfit is. If the overlap between the glove and the clothing sleeve is less than about 50 mm, a longer glove needs to be used. A short glove, with the arm raised, exposes the wrist, and liquid runs down the forearm straight inside.

Mineral fertilizers: a different hazard, a different glove

With fertilizers, we're not dealing with an active substance permeating the polymer, but with dust, an irritating reaction, and mechanical work. Handling bags, cleaning the spreader, and picking caked fertilizer out of the hopper are activities where a glove usually doesn't let anything through, it just tears.

The selection criteria are therefore different from those for spraying. What matters is weight, tear and puncture resistance, grip on wet and dusty material, and cuff length, so that dust doesn't get inside. Nitrile has an extra practical advantage here: punctures are much easier to spot in it than in most other chemical-resistant materials, so a visual check actually works.

Liming: the most overlooked of these three jobs

Quicklime, meaning calcium oxide, is treated like an ordinary fertilizer, yet chemically it's one of the harsher substances a farmer comes into contact with.

Calcium oxide dissolves poorly in water, but dissolving it releases a significant amount of heat. The resulting calcium hydroxide suspension, called milk of lime, is strongly alkaline, with a pH of 12.6. Powdered calcium oxide can react with water explosively. In practice, that means lime dust on a sweaty hand isn't dirt, it's a chemical reaction taking place on the skin.

Under the CLP classification, calcium oxide is a skin irritant, causes serious eye damage, and may cause respiratory irritation. Hydrated lime carries the same classification. A glove for liming therefore has one job: keep dust off the skin and stay in one piece for the duration of the work. Heavier-weight nitrile with a long cuff delivers that without reservation.

Treated seed and machinery operation

Industry guidelines on the transport, storage and application of treated seed point directly to EN 374-certified nitrile gloves, a reusable version for routine work and a disposable one when intervention on the equipment is needed.

It's worth remembering the standard's definition, though. A crop protection product operator isn't just someone who sprays, but also someone who cleans, adjusts or repairs equipment parts that may carry crop protection product residue. Servicing the sprayer after an application is still work with a pesticide, even if the tank no longer holds any liquid.

Where Gripzzly gloves are the right answer

For mineral fertilizers and liming, what decides is weight, grip and cuff length. Gripzzly have a diamond texture across the whole gripping surface, which keeps grip on a wet bag and on a dusty spreader hopper, and the Gripzzly X LONG version has a 300 mm cuff, meaning it covers the forearm. That's the same length ISO 18889 requires for type G2 gloves, though for a different application.

For machinery servicing, oils, grease and fuel, nitrile is the first-choice material, because its resistance covers aliphatic hydrocarbons, alcohols, and medium-concentration acids and alkalis. Gripzzly Black carries a type B mark under EN ISO 374-1 with the codes K, P and T, meaning tested resistance to forty percent sodium hydroxide, thirty percent hydrogen peroxide, and thirty-seven percent formaldehyde. Code K matters here, because it's the same substance ISO 18889 sets a requirement for with type GR gloves.

For work with treated seed and short interventions on equipment, a disposable nitrile glove marked EN 374 is a solution that matches the guidelines, and being disposable is an advantage, because seed-treatment residue doesn't come back onto the hand the next day.

The product label matters more than the glove description

The order of thinking is sometimes the reverse of what it should be. A farmer buys gloves first, then checks whether they match the application. The correct order starts with the product label, because that's what sets the minimum protective equipment that has to be used. These requirements come from the product's toxicological studies submitted during registration, not from a general idea of what's convenient.

Work clothing, meaning a long-sleeved shirt, long trousers and footwear, forms the base layer. The glove is an additional layer, and it's the label that says when it's mandatory and what kind it should be. The second document worth checking is section 8 of the safety data sheet, where the manufacturer states the recommended material and thickness.

The same active substance in different formulations can require different protection, because permeation is decided not just by the substance itself, but also by the solvents and carriers used in the product, the concentration, the air temperature, and the contact time.

Cleaning, replacement and storage

Thicker, reusable gloves can be cleaned after mixing or application and used again, but their working life is limited. The number of cycles is set by contact time and by the type and concentration of the product, and gloves in contact with concentrate wear out much faster than those working with diluted liquid.

US state guidelines for operators tie replacement frequency to the material's resistance class. With high resistance, the glove is cleaned or replaced at the end of the working day; with medium, within an hour of contact; with low, within ten minutes; and material with no resistance isn't used at all if contact is possible. It's a simple rule that can be posted on the wall next to the sprayer.

If the manufacturer hasn't given cleaning instructions, detergent and hot water are used, and personal protective equipment is washed separately from other clothing. That procedure doesn't apply to disposable gloves, since after contact with the chemical they go into the waste.

What not to do

Don't submerge your hand in spray liquid or in concentrate. A chemical-resistant glove is designed for contact and splashing, not for immersion, and the breakthrough time is calculated completely differently under immersion.

Don't wash disposable gloves or put them on again after contact with a chemical. If a glove is meant to be reusable, the manufacturer provides decontamination instructions, and the standard explicitly requires information on whether the product is disposable.

Don't use textile-lined gloves with crop protection products. Absorbent material holds the product against the skin and extends exposure instead of cutting it short.

Don't rely on the beaker pictogram alone. With pesticides, what matters is the G1, G2 or GR mark placed under the pictogram, because that's what tells you which task the glove was tested for.

Frequently asked questions

Are nitrile gloves suitable for spraying?

Nitrile is one of the materials used in gloves for crop protection product users, but approval is decided not by the raw material but by testing and marking under ISO 18889. A nitrile glove without that mark isn't a spraying glove, even if the material is the same.

Is a chemical-resistant glove needed for liming?

Not in the sense of permeation testing, since lime doesn't permeate a polymer. What's needed is a tight, mechanically tough, long glove, because the hazard is dust and the strongly alkaline suspension that forms on contact with moisture.

How long should a spraying glove be?

The standard requires at least 240 mm for type G1 and at least 290 mm for type G2. Regardless of type, the overlap between the glove and the sleeve should be about 50 mm, otherwise a longer glove should be chosen.

Is one pair of gloves enough for a whole season?

No. Reusable gloves have a limited working life that depends on contact time and on the type and concentration of the product, and those used with concentrates wear out much faster than ones in contact with diluted liquid.

Sources

• ISO 18889:2019, Protective gloves for pesticide operators and re-entry workers. Performance requirements, International Organization for Standardization: iso.org

• SATRA Technology Centre, Testing gloves for protection against pesticides (wymagania ISO 18889 i metoda EN ISO 19918): satra.com

• Ogg C.L., Hygnstrom J.R., Puckett G.J., Gloves for Handling Pesticides (G1961), University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: extensionpubs.unl.edu

• Penn State Extension, Reduce Your Exposure to Pesticides. Wear Gloves: extension.psu.edu

• Oregon OSHA, Personal Protective Equipment: Selecting the Right PPE for Pesticide Work: osha.oregon.gov

• Central Institute for Labour Protection – National Research Institute, study on calcium oxide and occupational exposure, Podstawy i Metody Oceny Środowiska Pracy, 2020: biblioteka.ciop.pl

• Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council (CLP) on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures

• Standards cited in the text: ISO 18889:2019, EN ISO 19918, EN ISO 374-1, EN 374-2, EN 16523-1, ISO 21420, ISO 23388