Amendment of the EN 420 standard

In March 2020, the EN 420 standard was modified and transformed into the EN ISO 21420 standard. The revised standard redefined the general requirements for glove construction and cut, safety, comfort and effectiveness of use, as well as marking and information provided by the manufacturer applicable to all protective gloves.

What has changed?

SCOPE OF APPLICATION

The scope of application of the EN ISO 21420 standard has been extended. This standard can now be used not only for protective gloves, but also for protective sleeves.  

INNOCUOUSNESS

EN ISO 21420 introduces a new threshold for the content of dimethylformamide (must not exceed 1000 mg/kg) and aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons- shall not exceed 1mg/kg.

In the new standard, it is no longer necessary to test natural latex gloves for proteins, which was the case with the EN 420 standard.

GLOVE MARKING

According to the EN 420 standard, each protective glove should have the following markings:

In the case of the EN ISO 21420 standard, additionally the following should be placed:

Markings should be clear and visible throughout the lifetime of the gloves. If it is not possible to mark the gloves, they should be placed on the first package.

GLOVE SIZING

A minimum length of gloves is not required for EN ISO 21420.

ELECTROSTATIC PROPERTIES

The new EN ISO 21420 standard introduces a new antistatic pictogram for ATEX zones. Electrostatic properties must be tested according to EN 16350 (test method EN 1149-2). Within the new standard, the test methodology designation EN 1149-1 or EN 1149-3 can still be used, but in this case it is not necessary to use the pictogram.
Test data according to EN 1149-1 and 3 can be provided in the information provided to the user.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE

According to the EN 420 standard, the instructions for use should contain:

In the case of the EN ISO 21420 standard, additionally the following should be placed:

INFORMATION ON REQUEST

According to the new EN ISO 21420 standard, additional information should be made available upon request.

In the case of the EN 420 standard, it was previously necessary to list all substances contained in gloves.

Regarding the EN ISO 21420 standard, a list of allergenic substances contained in the gloves (other than natural rubber) should be provided.

Important! EU certificates obtained under the previous EN 420 standard are still valid until they expire.