On an active high-rise construction project in Austin, Texas, crews at JE Dunn Construction were burning through PPE at an unsustainable rate. Their minimum requirement was an A4 cut-resistant glove, and the competitive options being used weren’t holding up; crews were going through a pair of gloves per worker, per day. 

More concerning were the hazards those gloves failed to protect against. Workers faced frequent impact and pinch hazards, including: 

• Strikes to the back of the hand from hammers 
• Fingers getting pinched during saw and material handling tasks 
• Limited visibility when reaching into tight or obstructed areas 

With poor durability, recurring hand injuries, and low visibility, JE Dunn knew they needed a better solution, one that would protect hands and give workers more control on the jobsite. 

The trial: Several competitors, one clear winner  

In 2022, HexArmor’s Business Development Manager in Austin, Texas, conducted an on-site safety demonstration for JE Dunn for a high-rise project. The crew initially trialed the Helix® 3050 glove, which met cut requirements but still left room for improvement, particularly around hand visibility. 

That’s when Quinn Donathan, the safety manager on the project, had an idea. 

He recognized that high-visibility gloves could help crews better see where their hands were during critical tasks, reducing guesswork and risk. Donathan reached back out to HexArmor® to explore hi-vis options, and eventually was able to trial the unreleased (at the time) Helix® 3013 and 3014 gloves.  

At the same time, they were already using two incumbent brands and several competing glove manufacturers were also attempting to win the business, but they didn’t even come close to the success our Helix® gloves proved. The crews favored the Helix® 3014 and stopped using the competitive options entirely. 

The solution: High-visibility + impact-ready protection  

As soon as the hi-vis HexArmor® gloves hit the jobsite, hand injuries dropped significantly. Improved visibility helped workers better track hand placement during high-risk tasks, especially in low-visibility or congested work areas. 

From there, JE Dunn took the next step: adding impact protection. 

The Helix® 3014IMP quickly became the clear winner, offering: 

• High-visibility materials that improve hand awareness 
• Flexible honeycomb back-of-hand impact protection that doesn’t restrict movement 
• Excellent grip for confident tool and material handling 
• A reinforced thumb patch that stayed in place, unlike competitor gloves, where patches peeled off within a day 
• Surpassed the A4 cut requirements at level A6, while offering greater flexibility than previous gloves 

While competing gloves offered similar features on paper, they simply couldn’t match the durability, comfort, or real-world performance of the HexArmor® solution. 

Donathan said it himself, "The [3014imp] gloves are very thin with great dexterity, these are the Lamborghini of safety gloves" - Quinn Donathan, Safety Manager 

The results: Longer wear life, fewer injuries, and a new glove standard 

After side-by-side trials, JE Dunn made a decisive move: 

They exclusively standardized the Helix® 3014IMP and now offer it as the only general-purpose glove in their internal catalog. 

Key outcomes included: 

• 2x–3x longer glove lifespan compared to previously used competitor gloves 
• A noticeable reduction in hand injuries tied to impact and pinch hazards 
• Improved worker confidence and compliance thanks to comfort and flexibility 
• Lower overall PPE spend driven by fewer glove replacements 

In fact, the only complaint crews had? 

The gloves were lasting so long that they started to smell. The good news is – they're launderable for an even further extended life. 

For JE Dunn Construction, success came down to more than just meeting a cut rating. The Helix® 3014IMP delivered a rare combination of elite performance, durability, and protection – exceeding requirements while lowering overall PPE spend.

See the Helix® 3014IMP