What Should I Look for in High Visibility Safety Clothing?
High-visibility apparel is a necessary item of uniform for staff in any workplace where visibility is poor. This is especially important when working around moving vehicles and in other hazardous environments. When selecting your high-visibility workwear, there are certain criteria you need to consider in order to ensure the safety of your staff.
What Class of Safety Apparel?
High-visibility clothing must meet national standards, known as EN471, which sets specific guidance for reflective clothing; the width of retro-reflective tape on the garment, for example. This standardization is broken down into 3 categories based on the levels of conspicuity they provide:
Class 1: Lowest level of conspicuity
- Minimum visible area of fluorescent material of 0.14m²
- Minimum visible area of retro-reflective material of 0.1m2
- Suitable for jobs such as warehouse operatives, trolley collectors and parking attendants
Class 2: Medium level of conspicuity
- Minimum visible area of fluorescent material of 0.5m²
- Minimum visible area of retro-reflective material of 0.13m2
- Suitable for jobs such as railway construction, school crossing guard, airport baggage crew and roadside vehicle maintenance workers
Class 3: Highest level of conspicuity
- Minimum visible area of fluorescent material of 0.8m2
- Minimum visible area of retro-reflective material of 0.2m2
- Suitable for jobs such as law enforcement officers, survey crews, roadway workers in inclement weather, high-volume parking attendants, night operators in high congestion areas
When selecting your Hi-Vis, you need to ensure that you have the right level of visibility for your workers – remember, it is better to be over-cautious than to put your workers at risk.
Midway Clothing & Promotions offer level 3 high-visibility clothing to ensure the utmost safety and visibility.
Is it Suitable for the Wearer?
The apparel should be fitted to the wearer, leaving room for clothing to be worn underneath and ensuring a good fit. If the clothing is too big, it becomes a hazard in itself, catching or snagging on machinery, and if the clothing is too small the wearer won’t fit comfortably into the item. The garment should be comfortable to wear and have no rough edges that can cause irritation, it should also be lightweight.
How Should it be Worn?
Your high-visibility clothing should be the top layer of clothing. Any other uniform or equipment, such as tool belts or high-cut boots, should be designed to be worn underneath the Hi-Vis to ensure that visibility isn’t compromised.
How do I Check my Uniform Complies to Government Standardization?
To check if your Hi-Vis complies with standardization, inspect the label. The label should inform you of the fact as well as stating the class and reflectivity level of the garment. Other information includes the manufacturer, the model code, the size of the garment and basic cleaning instructions. If your garment is labelled incorrectly, it does not comply to standards and shouldn’t be purchased.
Midway Clothing & Promotions have a huge range of hard wearing and durable high-visibility workwear that conforms to EN471 class 3. Our range, which includes polo shirts, vests, jackets and trousers is also available in flame retardant options and printed or embroidered with your company’s brand. At Midway Clothing & Promotions, we pride ourselves on our service, which promises quick turnaround and high-standard products. For more information, contact us today.