May. 06, 2024
Understanding High-Visibility and Flame-Resistant Categories During National Safety Month:
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June is National Safety Month, and there’s no better time to consider the role of high-visibility and flame-resistant categories in workplace safety.
High-visibility clothing is designed for workers who must be visible from a distance, such as construction workers, miners, surveyors, or any other job where workers must be seen from afar. These garments feature reflective stripes, neon colors, and other materials that make workers stand out in a crowd.
Likewise, flame-resistant apparel is often required for workers operating in hazardous work environments or areas where exposure to high temperatures or fire risks exist. These garments are engineered with fabric blends that resist ignition and will not continue to burn after the source of the flame is removed. This type of apparel can provide additional protection for workers in high-risk situations and should be a key consideration when choosing safety apparel for your workforce.
No matter what type of environment you’re working in, safety apparel is an essential factor in protecting yourself and your coworkers.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) works in close collaboration with stakeholders from industry and government to identify and develop standards and conformance–based solutions to national and global priorities. In the case of high-visibility garments, ANSI worked with the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) to establish consensus standards in order to establish a baseline of product performance for safety equipment. The industry regulation for these standards is known as ANSI/ISEA 107.
ANSI/ISEA 107 sets out garment design requirements for multiple Garment Types for high-visibility vests, jackets, pants and more—plus, three different Performance Classes within those Types. The standard combines two previously recognized hi-vis apparel standards designed to cover garments requirements for non-public safety workers and public safety employees, such as police and firefighters. It also provides performance testing criteria for the materials used to make the garments.
The different types of apparel match different worksite conditions to ensure ultimate safety and protection.
Selecting the right high-visibility garments for a job begins with asking two crucial questions; What is the expected location and setting in which the job is being done, and what tasks are being performed?
There are three types kinds of high-visibility clothing available.
High-visibility clothing must meet ANSI/ISEA 107-2015 performance class requirements to be considered safety apparel. These garments come in four classes: Class 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Class 1 garments have the lowest visibility requirements and are typically used in environments where workers must be visible from up to 250 ft away. They include a background material that is fluorescent or bright in color, along with reflective strips on each side of the garment.
Class 2 garments are similar to Class 1 but have an increased visibility requirement and can be seen from up to 500 ft away. They include a colored background material with multiple stripes of reflective material in strategic locations around the garment.
Class 3 garments are the most visible and have extremely high visibility requirements. These garments can be seen from up to 1500 ft away and feature a fluorescent background material with wide stripes of reflective material in multiple locations around the garment.
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Class 4 garments are the most specialized type of high-visibility clothing and offer the highest visibility requirements. They are designed for workers who must be visible in any weather condition, even on highways and roadways, and can be seen from up to 2500 ft away. They feature a fluorescent background material with wide stripes of reflective material in multiple strategic locations around the garment.
Beyond making critical distinctions between classes and types, there are two additional factors an employer should also consider: Color and Reflectivity.
“What is the best high-visibility color for this particular jobsite?”
Fluorescent yellow-green and orange are far and away the most prevalent ANSI-approved colors in the US, while red is more common abroad. All three of these colors register an extremely high level of light sensitivity, though yellow-green is considered most visible. However, that does not necessarily mean that yellow-green is the safest option. For instance, in areas with heavy foliage, bright orange might provide a higher contrast than yellow-green. Ultimately, the right choice will always be dependent on the work environment.
“What is the best retroreflective material for this particular jobsite?”
To enhance visibility in low-lighting, as well as help stand out amidst other visual distractions during the daytime, certain widths of ANSI-compliant retroreflective material are also required on high-visibility garments. “Retroreflective” means that light gets directed back to its original source once it hits the material, which also means that without a light source (i.e., headlights), the material does not enhance worker visibility. Therefore, both background fabric and retroreflective material are equally important.
(Image: Federal Railroad Administration)
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Choosing the right high-visibility clothing for the job per the ANSI standard is a good first step to preventing injuries on a work site. But workers must use the garments and care for them.
There's more to high-visibility safety apparel than meets the eye. By definition, it's clothing with highly reflective properties that help workers stay visible against any background and in any lighting conditions, even at night. The ability to be seen is critical for worker safety, especially for those working around moving vehicles and equipment—from construction sites to roadways, and in warehouses.
But not all high-visibility garments are the same, and requirements vary across the wide range of uses and environments workers face every day. The following is a handy primer on selecting the right high-visibility products for your organization and job functions.
WHO wears high-visibility apparel?
Many workers are either required or choose to wear high-visibility apparel to reduce the incidence of on-the-job accidents and injuries. These include highway and railway crews, airport workers, loggers, hunters, commercial fishermen, construction tradespeople, trash and recycling collectors, landscaping professionals, warehouse workers, first responders, and many others.
The key is to choose the high-visibility option that provides the greatest degree of contrast between a worker's body and his or her surroundings. Hunting laws in many states, for instance, require hunters to wear blaze orange garments to distinguish them from game animals. When working in or around heavy foliage, orange or red apparel options may be preferable. The color of work zone equipment also can influence the best choice of fluorescent background materials.
WHEN is high-visibility apparel required?
The federal mandate that requires select workers to wear high-visibility apparel can be found in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices 2009 (MUTCD 2009), which is translated and enforced by each state. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration also has developed an interpretation statement regarding MUCTD, intended to clarify when high-visibility apparel is required. It can be found at: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2009-08-05.
This article originally appeared in the July 2018 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.
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