04 Jun 2026
BHP and GRIPPS Co-Create a New Standard in Fingertip Protection
From Left: Paul Carlos, Tim Jess, Jeff Richards, Finbar McCarthy, Rick Salisbury.BHP and GRIPPS® have officially launched the S21711 – GRIPPS® C5 Crush Cap Gloves, a new glove developed to help address one of mining's most persistent hand safety challenges: line-of-fire fingertip crush injuries.
The glove was unveiled at a Teams Day in BHP Perth CBD on 2 June 2026, where BHP Superintendents and elected champions were introduced to the product, its protective features, and the development story behind it.
A solution built around a real site challenge
This project began in 2021, when BHP approached GRIPPS® with a problem faced by BHP workers and the mining industry as a whole: fingertip crush incidents remained prevalent, and the gloves on the market did not meet operational requirements.
What followed was a multi-year development journey shaped by testing, redesign, worker feedback, and a shared commitment to achieving a better outcome for the people wearing the glove on the job.
What followed was a multi-year development journey shaped by testing, redesign, worker feedback, and a shared commitment to achieving a better outcome for the people wearing the glove on the job.
The result is a new solution developed specifically to help protect workers from impacts, drops, and cuts in a single glove.
Rather than adapting an off-the-shelf product, BHP and GRIPPS® worked together to develop a purpose-built solution. Over several years, the glove went through an extensive design and testing process, including:
- Six prototypes
- Production on the seventh version
- Testing of multiple engineered fingertip cap configurations
- Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to assess strength and performance
- Field trial feedback from BHP personnel
The result is a glove designed specifically for the realities of mining maintenance work.
Why this matters
Hand and finger injuries remain a major safety issue in high-risk industries. Western Australian government data has shown that fingers accounted for 56% of amputations, fractures and crushing injuries in mining in 2019, while maintenance recorded the highest proportion of injuries at 43%.1
Those numbers highlight the importance of targeted protection, particularly for workers operating around plant, equipment, tools, and pinch-point hazards.
Introducing the S21711 – GRIPPS® C5 Crush Cap Gloves
The C5 Crush Cap Gloves combine three critical forms of protection in a single glove:
- 40kg Crush protection through custom-engineered fingertip caps.
- A4 Cut Resistance (ANSI/ISEA 105)
- Dropped-object prevention support through a built-in 2.3kg load-rated tether anchor point
Each fingertip cap is load-rated for 40kg crush protection, providing targeted protection where many conventional gloves fall short. The glove is also ANSI/ISEA 121-2023 compliant, aligning it with the GRIPPS® glove range and with working-at-heights safety expectations.
Importantly, this technology was not previously available in the market, making the release an exclusive innovation developed through the BHP-GRIPPS® partnership.
Launched at Superintendents' Day in Perth
The official launch at BHP Perth was designed to do more than introduce a new product. It was an opportunity to share the reasoning behind the glove and help build confidence in how it should be fitted and used.
Presentations from GRIPPS® staff focused on:
- The importance of preventing fingertip crush injuries
- The glove's key features and benefits
- The co-development journey with BHP
- The glove fit process for BHP personnel
That education piece is critical. PPE innovation only has an impact when workers understand how and why it should be used.
A collaboration with safety impact in mind
One of the strongest aspects of this project is that it was shaped by the people closest to the hazard. Feedback from BHP personnel played a direct role in refining the glove throughout development, helping to ensure the final product was both practical and protective.
As Tim Jess from BHP said, BHP is
"Very proud to co-create with GRIPPS®, and we hope they have a significant impact, and almost eliminate the amount of fingertip line-of-fire crush injuries [BHP] sees."
Tim Jess, presenting at a BHP Teams Day 02.06.26That is the real value of this release. It is not innovation for innovation's sake. It is a focused response to a recognised injury trend, developed collaboratively to deliver a better outcome for workers.
Supporting safer work on site
For BHP teams, the launch of the S21711 glove offers a new option to strengthen hand protection in tasks where fingertip exposure remains a concern. The S21711 – GRIPPS® C5 Crush Cap Gloves are the result of a genuine partnership between BHP and GRIPPS® — engineered to help reduce risk, improve protection, and support safer outcomes in the field.
References
- Government of Western Australia, Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, Amputations, fractures and crushing (AFC) injuries (2019)
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