High-Visibility Safety Vests – An Ultimate Guide

No matter which corporate sector or working domain you belong to, every business tries its best to put employee safety at the utmost priority. If you consider the working environments with outdoor or field work such as construction or aviation, employees are provided with high-visibility safety vests and another high-visibility wearable.

These vests reduce the chances of injuries because the workers can be seen in low-light spaces as the colors are highly visible. According to the American National Standard for High Visibility Safety Apparel and Accessories have devised a standard imposed by the American National Standards Institute. This institution is responsible for providing high-performance specifications topped with material requirements.

According to the developed standard, high visibility safety vests are essential for utility workers, airport ramp personnel, maintenance staff, EMS responders, and off-load workers. This is because these people are vulnerable and prone to hazards. In this article, we are sharing information about the high visibility apparel and the essential components adhered to it.

Components of High-Visibility Apparel

Whenever someone is talking about high-visibility apparel, it is designed to offer immediate spotting in the low-light areas. The main reason lies in the human eye’s ability to spot large and bright images efficiently. This has cranked up the importance of high-visibility apparel in multiple workplace sectors.

Colors Are Essential

To make the vests highly visible, the colors chosen are bright that capture the eyes and attention immediately. The colors include neon such as red, orange-red, yellow-green, and many more. In addition, the reflective material of strips is added to the vest in silver or white color to ensure everyone is highly spot-able.

These reflective strips are essential for the workers who are working through the night hours or the area that have a low-lighting environment. In the construction zones, the workers and laborers become highly visible to the drivers even in the dusty space. In addition, the configuration and placement of the reflective material will be helpful in deciding the side of the workers, back or front-faced.

The standards for the implication of reflective tapes on the apparel should be 360-degree visible and the horizontal gap needs to be 50mm or lesser.

Brightness & Reflectivity

If you are talking about multiple locations, the color of the apparel will be dependent upon the location where a vest will be worn. The colors standards are inclusive of implication of;

• Bright colors such as yellow-green where the daylight areas are present
• The reflective and fluorescent materials are used in the low-light areas
• Retro-reflective, bright, and phosphorescence material and colors are to be used in dark areas

Material

The high visibility apparel is usually designed for lightweight material because it makes it easy for the workers to wear around during every season. Commonly, the net-like mesh or web material is used. These materials are chosen because they are lightweight and if they get soaked up in the water, they will dry up pretty quickly.

Fitting

To ensure the comfortable fit, the apparel is made according to the size of a wearer. In other words, the vests need to be of normal size; not too big or small because the bad fitting will add to the chances of injury. Also, the vest needs to be of a size that can be worn over the bulky winter clothes. In other words, the apparel should not block the safety of the workers.

Customizations

There are multiple customization options available for the high-visibility safety vests such as;

• Number of closures and pockets
• Inside or outward side of the pockets
• Size of the pocket
• The material of closure such as zippers, Velcro, and breakaways
• Badge holders
• Logo of the organization printed or sewn

Types of High-Visibility Safety Vests

When it comes to the types of high-visibility safety vests, there are three different types categorized into multiple classes, such as;

Type O

This is the first type of vest and it is used in the low-impact areas where the traffic limit doesn’t exceed 25 mph. The vests are usually used by the off-road workers who have a slight chance of coming in contact with the vehicles. The people who need to wear type O jackets include warehouse workers, parking assistants, and delivery drivers.

Type R

This is the second type of safety vests and belongs to type three. These safety vests are designed for the people who will come in close contact with heavy traffic or if they need to work in low-light areas. This apparel will cover the partial and full body. The people who need to wear type R safety vests include roadway construction workers, airline ramp personnel, and ground crews.

Type P

This is the third type of high-visibility safety vests. These safety vests are usually worn by EMS workers, police departments, firefighters, and other emergency workers.

Additional Garments

In addition to safety vests, there are different types of garments from high-visibility apparel. The garments include;

• Overalls
• Pants
• Button-Down Shirts
• Short-Sleeve T-Shirt
• Long-Sleeve T-Shirt
• Rain Gears
• Sweatshirts
• Fleeces
• Jackets

Safety First!

No matter if you are working on the road or in a closed space like an office, safety needs to be a top-most priority. Also, make sure that you are keeping the eyes open regarding the surroundings and look out for the things that can pose harm to your health. If you are the owner of some organization or project, make sure you are taking every essential step for their safety.

Benefits of Using High-Visibility Safety Vests

• The safety vests ensure the all-time visibility of the employees and workers. This is because regular clothing can negatively impact the focus and by using the vests, the employees and workers will stand out in the crowd
• The safety vests will help drivers lookout for the laborers and workers on the construction sites and road
• The safety vests are optimizing the safety environment for the working which enhance the morale and productivity
• As the workers are highly visible, the chances of accidents are reduced to a significant rate

Shop our High Visibility Clothing here: 

https://safetysourcellc.com/safety-supplies/protective-clothing/high-visibility-clothing/