Tag: High Visibility Clothing
Things you Need to Keep in Mind While Looking for Hi-Vis Jackets & Work Shirts
The dangers employees are exposed to make it imperative to be visible while you’re at work. It’s a key responsibility of an employer to ensure that you & your employees are safe while working. High visibility clothing is an excellent way of being seen by others when you need to be safe and seen. One of the key ways of doing this is by equipping them with high-visibility clothing. Hi-vis jackets or work shirts are made from bright colors & reflective material that can be easily seen in low light conditions.
In this blog post, we’ll talk about the things you need to keep in mind while looking for hi-vis jackets & work shirts but before that, let’s take a quick look at why hi-vis clothing is important.
Why is High Visibility Clothing Important?
Different types of workplace hazards can make it difficult for workers to be seen. Employees are often exposed to hazardous substances or equipment in poorly lit areas, where other works might not be able to see them. To help ensure that you have a safe working environment with minimal risk of injury, employers should consider purchasing high visibility clothing for workers who need protection from these dangers.
Hi-vis clothing is typically worn to alert drivers & other equipment operators of where workers are located. In dangerous conditions, such as close to roadways, in dark conditions, or in areas where workers might be blocked by traffic barriers, construction equipment, or trees, wearing high visibility jacket or work shirt is a must. However, it is crucial to keep certain things in mind while looking for Hi-vis jackets and work shirts.
What to Look for
In Hi-Vis Jackets
When you’re looking for high visibility jackets, it’s important to take into account the type of environment they will be working in. See if they need protection from wet weather like rain or snow. Will they be exposed to a kind of fire, electrical arcs, or other flammable materials? Safety features in high visibility clothing like breakaway elements can help protect workers from hazards such as moving vehicles & equipment. Once you’re aware of what essential safety features you require for your workers, here are three more things that you should look for while comparing high visibility jackets:
- Useful features such as pockets, pen slots, and easy access to mobile phones or any other communication tool can make it easier for your worker to work faster.
- Comfort is very crucial for workers. Many hi-vis jackets come with elements like improved ventilation, increased flexibility & lighter weight fabrics. Such elements are more likely to make your worker feel comfortable while working.
- Finally, it’s important to keep durability in mind. All hi-vis jackets have a limited lifespan & can lose their high visibility feature with time. Make sure your hi-vis jackets are replaced when they become faded, torn, or overly dirty. Hi-vis jackets, worn every day for work, often last for six months, whereas jackets that are worn less frequently can last a year or more.
In Hi-Vis Shirts
Hi-vis shirts are often be used as a base or mid-layer by workers, so the material choices of these shirts are extremely important. One of the key pieces in a high-visibility shirt is selecting moisture-wicking fabric, so your team stays dry and protected no matter what the weather or their activity level is. In addition, keeping your workers comfortable on the job keeps them focused, reducing accidents & injuries.
Also, the environment that your workers face year-round should drive your choices for these shirts. Moreover, giving your team several hi-vis shirt choices to match their preferences will help to ensure that this important safety apparel is always worn. Consider offering short-sleeve hi-vis shirts to keep your workers cool in the heat and long-sleeve shirts for additional warmth in cooler weather.
Ending Note
It is important to consider each of these factors when choosing your team’s hi-visibility shirts. It will help keep them both safe and comfortable for their shift on the job. When looking at different high visibility workwear styles, think about what you are purchasing the clothes for to make an informed decision that fits your needs best!
High Visibility Clothing: Types & its Performance Classes
High visibility (Hi-Vis) clothing is apparel that has fluorescent/highly reflective elements. All these elements make the most of any available light source, which helps the workers wearing this clothing item to be visible against any background & in any conditions, including low light & even darkness.
Ensuring your employees have the right Hi-Vis clothing they need for their unique roles doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all solution. These requirements can vary depending upon its types & performance class.
Hi-Vis clothing standards established by The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) helps safety directors in any industry select the right high visibility safety vest for their team.
In this article, we will walk through the types & high visibility clothing performance class.
Types of High Visibility Clothing
The three types of HI-Vis clothing corresponding to the several types of worksite environments are:
Type O, or Off-Road
It is defined as Hi-Vis clothing that provides daytime & nighttime visual conspicuity enhancement for workers working in occupational environments. The working environment involves hazards from moving vehicles, equipment & machinery, but it does not include exposure to traffic on public access highway or rights-of-way or roadway temporary traffic control (TTC) zones.
Types of workers who need Type O hi-vis clothing includes:
- Workers responsible for outdoor maintenance & cart collection in parking lots
- Workers working in warehouses or factories where they work directly with equipment traffic
- Workers in oil & gas industry locations where visibility is a concern
Type R, or Roadway
This type of Hi-Vis clothing “provides daytime & night time visual conspicuity enhancement for workers working in occupational environments that include exposure to traffic (where vehicles use the highway for travel purposes) from public access highway rights-of-way, or the roadway TTC zones or from work vehicles & construction equipment within the roadway TTC zone.”
Types of workers who need Type R Hi-Vis clothing includes:
- Road construction workers
- Airport ground crew members
- Crossing guards
- Towing operators
- Parking & toll workers
Type P, or Public Safety
This type of Hi-Vis clothing “provides daytime & nighttime visual conspicuity enhancement for emergency & incident responders & law enforcement personnel working in occupational environments. These work environments include exposure to traffic (where vehicles use the highway for travel purposes) from public access highway rights-of-way or roadway TTC zones, or from work vehicles & construction equipment within the roadway TTC zone or from equipment & vehicles; within the activity area.”
Type P high visibility safety clothing is a crucial element of protective clothing for first responders who may encounter multiple hazardous sources while performing their jobs.
Workers who need Type P Hi-Vis clothing includes:
- Emergency medical response personnel
- Firefighters
- Law enforcement officers
Performance Classes of High Visibility Clothing
In addition to the types of Hi-Vis clothing, ANSI/ISEA 107-2020 also details four performance classes this clothing. Each of these performance classes has specific minimum design requirements specifying the background materials, performance materials, reflective elements, and size of reflective elements used in the Hi-Vis clothing.
The four performance classes of Hi-Vis clothing are:
Performance Class 1
This is the lowest level. Hi-Vis clothing in this performance class provides a minimum amount of high visibility elements that enable workers to stand out visually from a non-complex work environment. Performance Class 1 Hi-Vis clothing is only appropriate for Type O or off-road environments.
Performance Class 2
This performance class has an additional amount of high visibility material which provides better visibility for your workers. Performance Class 2 Hi-Vis clothing is the minimum level of protection for workers that are exposed to roadway or Type R environments.
Performance Class 3
This performance class provides an even higher percentage of high-visibility material than the above two. Performance class 3 Hi-Vis clothing increases the visibility of a worker’s entire body in extremely complex work environments. Examples of performance class 3 design elements typically include requirements on the placement of fluorescent backgrounds along with reflective & combined performance materials on the workers’ sleeves & pant legs.
Supplemental Class E
The Supplemental Class E Hi-Vis clothing is used for increasing the visibility of workers, and it must always be used with other Hi-Vis clothing. However, class E clothing on its own does not need to meet the ANSI safety standards. This Hi-Vis clothing increases the visibility of the lower body & can be used in combination with Performance Class 2 clothing to reach a combined Performance class 3 visibility level or in combination with Class 3 Hi-Vis clothing to increase worker visibility even further.
Final Word
High visibility safety clothing is a powerful part of your workers’ safety plan. Keeping your workers visible while they are working can prevent accidents before they happen; thus, ensure a safe & well-functioning team. Make sure that you choose the right Hi-Vis clothing type that will protect your workers & ensure that you’re meeting all of the safety standards that impact your industry.