Work Safety & Toe Protection

High Visibility Clothing Explained

High visibility clothing is mandatory in some jobs and there is a lot of planning that goes into the manufacturing of this.  There are also many regulations that workers have to meet and high visibility clothing is one of them.  The purpose of this pose is to take a close look at the main regulation standards and the different types of high visibility clothing that must be worn.

In the UK, high visibility clothing is divided into three different classes and each of these is suitable for a specific work environment.  The classes can be found in the regulation documents EN471:2003.

Class 1:

Class one high visibility items are very simple and contain the minimum amount of fluorescence.  This clothing type is usually worn in safer environments and the law states that these items have to have at least 0.14 sqm of fluorescent material and a minimum of 0.10 sqm of reflective material.

Some examples include work harnesses, over trousers and reflective belts.

Class 2:

These items are a little more visible than class 1 and are required by those who need to be seen clearly from a distance and up close.  The EN471:2003 states that clothes that fit into this class need to have at least 0.5 sqm of fluorescent of material and 0.13 sqm of reflective material.

Some examples include short sleeved garments, sleeveless jackets, waistcoats and bibs.

Class 3:

Class three high visibility clothing is for the most dangerous of environments and this includes those who work beside the road or on a rail track.  These people need to be clearly seen at all times by oncoming traffic.  The law states that class 3 high visibility clothing needs to have at least 0.8 sqm of fluorescent material and 0.2 sqm of retro-reflective materials.  Another aspect of the class 3 items is that they have to be reflective from the back and the front.

As you can see, when it comes to high visibility clothing there is a lot more to take into consideration than just buying a reflective waist coat or band.  You have to adhere to certain regulations and know exactly what class of reflective clothing you need to be wearing.

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