After a hurricane passes and I'm able to leave the storm shelter there has always been mounds of unidentifiable garbage to be cleared. Was it a boat? airplane? animal, vegetable, mineral? Impossible to tell, but the one certainty was that it had broken glass to cut my hands, rusty nails to puncture, and probably a snake to keep things interesting.

Pictures from recent earthquakes show a similar problem, and I assume such debris is a daily/routine issue for firefighters, EMT and police.

What is working well for people to resist cuts and punctures yet retain some dexterity for grasping and removing debris? I already have a small whisk broom in my car for other reasons, but sometimes you have to grab something to get it out of the way.

I have used, not abused! those $5 work gloves available at 7-11 for dangerous tasks. They work well and protect from heat very well too!

Woven polyester gloves with rubber on the palms work pretty well. They are puncture and abrasion resistant. They are also cheap.

Kevlar gloves: http://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Weight-Kevlar-Knit-Gloves/dp/B000IGGBX6

Sue

Get a pair of leather work gloves from whatever store sells wood. I have a pair from local home improvement store and they are quite strong, since they are intended to keep your hands safe from wood splinters etc.

Leather work gloves are the basic tool. Welding gloves are much tougher (and heavier).

My father (who ran cattle for 30 years) swears by a brand of rubber-coated cotton that is mostly impermeable to barbed wire. I don't know the name, but they are widely available in country hardware stores (the ones where the square footage of bolts vs. potpourri is at least 100:1).

But why handle things directly? A small shovel or full-size spade will keep sharp, bio-active, or biting things at a safe distance. Extra-long needle-nose pliers are gold as well (when handling traps with deer-hanta-mice for example).

I agree with Doug. Any decent pair of leather work gloves will work for your needs. Make a visit to your closest hardware or Home Depot store. They will both have a good selection of gloves to choose from.

I use these Rona brand (Canadian hardware/lumber supply chain stores) gloves which are priced south of $10.00

> What is working well for people to resist cuts and punctures yet retain some
> dexterity for grasping and removing debris?

It's all a compromise. I grew up using Missouri Mule gloves - leather palm and fingers with some kind of fabric back and stiff cuffs that went up the wrist a couple of inches. You can't thread a needle while wearing them, but barb wire, cables, and whatever else never punctured them. This is similar:
http://www.discountsafetygear.com/mens-leather-work-gloves-white-mule-wells-lamont.html

As for the unidentifiable garbage, I'd recommend using honking huge rubber gloves to wear inside the leather gloves. I don't mean dishwashing gloves, I mean big thick rubber work gloves that'll fit inside the leather. That way the rubber doesn't get punctured. Your hands will sweat and stink, but the rubber keeps the chemicals and germs away.

The ones I used at the tie plant (railroad ties newly steamed in creosote) looked like these, but I'm going by the picture:
http://www.abcsafetyglasses.com/mly-13-152.html
They were _not_ puncture proof; hence, we wore them inside our leather gloves, which soaked through with the creosote.

I have a pair of leather gloves in all my bailout bags, on the assumption that I'll be dealing with broken glass and maybe broken studs, nails, screws, and the like.

philip raises an important point.

When handling materials that may be chemically toxic, leather gloves are not enough. They will absorb the gunk and can, in fact, increase overall exposure over time if they are not properly and thoroughly cleaned (assuming that is even possible). Simply put, each time you use those gloves you get another dose through your skin. Nasty business.

BTW, the treatments used on railway ties and power poles are the worst. Coal tar creosote and additives, designed to kill fungi (perhaps the hardiest forms of life on Earth) for 30 years or more. Nothing to trifle with.

You can get kevlar gloves for slash protection.
They are usually yellow and look knitted, also usually under ten dollars.
They offer no barrier to chemicals but, as Doug and Phillip say, you can wear rubber glove over or under them.