10 Questions You Should to Know about High Visibility Vest

Safety vests are required in a wide range of situations. From road work, tow truck drivers, construction sites, manufacturing facilities, logistic workers, and the list goes on. The purpose of these vest is simply to increase the visibility of the wearer and help prevent them from getting hit by moving machines, like cars, forklifts, and other vehicles.

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The combination of vibrant colors and reflective tape is designed to catch the eye of the machine operator or driver. None of this is a surprise. You likely deduced this on your own.

The bigger question is when do you need to wear a safety vest and which vest do you need? If you are here looking for a specific answer to those questions, the best we can tell you is to check with your company. In most cases, the company vest requirements exceed the minimum requirement, and to correctly comply, you'll need to know the companies policy on safety vests.

That's probably not the answer you wanted. To make it up to you, we'll go over the basics of safety vests, so that if you company says something like, 'You'll need a Type R, Class 2 vest with a d-ring slot and an ID pocket', you'll know what they are talking about.

Construction Safety Vest Requirements and Guidelines

OSHA takes the lead on construction safety. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) is the federal agency responsible for setting standards for workplace safety in the US. In terms of construction safety, OSHA requires workers to wear high-visibility clothing that meets the standards of the ANSI/ISEA 107- standard. This standard outlines the requirements for color, reflectivity, and the amount of background and retroreflective material needed to ensure maximum visibility on the job site.

Classes

Safety vests come in different "classes," each with its own set of requirements to meet the demands of various work environments. Class 1 vests are the minimum standard for low-risk environments, while Class 3 vests offer the most visibility and are required for workers in high-risk environments, such as road construction. We put together an article that outlines the differences between class 1, class and class 3 safety vests.

Types

There are 3 types of safety vest. PowerPak only offers Type R vests, which are for roadway use. Type R vests can be Class 2 or Class 3. Type O vests are not suitable for roadway work, and type O vests only come in Class 1.

Type P vests are for emergency workers like police officers. These vests differ in design and functionality from Type R , but still meet the same standards as class 2 and class 3.

Material Colors

The ANSI/ISEA 107- standard requires that safety vests be a bright, highly visible color, such as neon yellow or orange. This ensures that workers are easily visible on the job site, even from a distance. The standard also specifies the amount of background and retroreflective material required to maximize visibility in different lighting conditions.

Reflective Tape

Reflective tape is a key component of construction safety vests, helping to increase visibility in low-light conditions. The ANSI/ISEA 107- standard requires a minimum amount of reflective tape for each class of vest, with Class 3 vests having the most reflective tape to ensure maximum visibility in high-risk environments.

We are using the term 'reflective tape' because it's commonly understood, but most vest have retro-reflective tape. With reflective material, when light hits it, it bounces off at the same angle in the opposite direction. Retro-reflective tape is able to reflect the light back in the direction it came, making it a much more effective material for safety purposes. Retro-reflective tape is commonly used on safety vests, road barrels, traffic cones, and other road safety equipment.

With these guidelines in mind, workers can feel confident that they are wearing the right vest for their job, meeting all safety requirements, and keeping themselves visible and protected on the job site.

Picking the Right Safety Vest

The type of work you're doing on the job site will play a big role in determining which safety vest is right for you. If you are not in danger of being struck by a moving vehicle (over 25mph), and visibility from a distance is not needed, a class 1 vest might be okay. PowerPak doesn't sell any class 1 vests, because even in low-risk situations, it's better to opt to a class 2. Class 2 is good in situations where traffic is less than 50mph, and Class 3 offers the most visibility for traffic over 50mph.

Fabric and Material

The weather conditions you'll be working in will also impact your choice of safety vest. If you're working in hot and humid conditions, look for a vest made from breathable fabric to keep you comfortable. On hot summer days, mesh safety vests are very popular. If you're looking for a more durable options, you might want to opt for a premium polyester safety vest. And if your work requires flame-resistance or flame-retardant, you have a lot of option, but one of the most popular flame-resistant materials for safety vests is modacrylic.

Comfort and Features

Safety vests should be an aid, not a hinderance. Vest come with a wide range of features including radio tabs, d-ring slots, gromets for dispensing flagging tape and countless pocket options. You can get vests that have a pocket on the back for carrying a rolled up plan (plan pocket), pockets for holding spray cans, pockets with flaps, pockets with zippers, water proof pockets, breathable pockets, and clear breast pockets for display IDs. Most vest have tear away sections, so if the vest get pulled into a machine, it won't pull you with it.

Styles

We're not talking about coordinating your safety vest with your boots. Different style vests including hi-visibility vests, surveyor vests, and breakaway vests. Hi-visibility vests are the most common and offer maximum visibility with a bright color and reflective tape. Surveyor vests are designed for surveyors and engineers and typically have pockets for holding equipment. You job may require a specialty vest, like the NYCTA Vest. This vest meets specific requirements set by the New York City Transit Authority, and it required for all transit workers in the city.

Proper Use and Care of Construction Safety Vests 

Wearing a safety vest is more than just pulling on a piece of clothing. It's a crucial step in staying safe on the job site. To get the most out of your safety vest, make sure it fits securely and snugly on your body, with the bottom of the vest no higher than your waistline and the sides extending to your hips. The vest should also be easily visible and not covered by other clothing or equipment. That includes other safety equipment like fall harnesses. Fall harnesses should be worn under your vest, and the D-ring should be fed though the D-ring slot on the back of the vest.

A clean and well-maintained safety vest is crucial for visibility and safety on the job site. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for washing your vest, as some vests may be machine washable while others may need to be cleaned by hand. Make sure to air-dry the vest, as using a dryer may damage the reflective tape. Store the vest in a cool, dry place when not in use to ensure it stays in top shape for your next job.

If your vest is flame-retardant, there may be a note on thee tag with the maximum number of washes. If the vest exceeds that number, it is no longer considered flame-retardant. Flame-resistant vests will remain flame-resistant regardless of the number of time you wash them, so you can't use that an excuse not to wash your modacrylic vest.

PowerPak Safety

Wearing a safety vest is an essential part of working on a construction site. It sends a message that you take your safety and the safety of others seriously and are committed to doing your part to prevent accidents and injuries. By following these guidelines for proper use and care, you can be confident that you're doing all you can to stay safe on the job.

Visit PowerPak.net to check out the dozens of vest options we offer. We have vest in different sizes, colors, and feature combinations to suite your needs, but that's not a big deal, right? Everyone offers a huge selection of vests. The thing that sets PowerPak apart is our service. When you place an order, we get that order shipped out the same day/next day.

If you want your company logo printed on the back of your vests, we offer in-house printing with fast turnaround times. From the approval of the proof, we will have those vests printed within 48 hours. Your crew will have their new vests this week, not later this month. We keep a full inventory of our vest options in stock in all of our facilities across the U.S. to prevent any delays in shipping. Don't believe us? Try us, place an order today.

Did you know that 1 in every 5 construction fatalities happens due to being struck by a vehicle or machinery? If you are working on roadside construction projects, you're at a high risk of a struck-by accidents. But there are ways to make yourself and your crew more visible to vehicles and heavy machinery. High visibility clothing can make you visible at distances greater than a thousand feet, giving both you and incoming traffic enough time to reach safety.

However, not all high visibility clothing is equal. Your purchase of clothing can be overkill, an underestimation, or even illegal in some circumstances. Some should answer these questions before you choose the right high visibility clothes for yourself or your crew:

• Where you work (Foliage, surroundings, colors, traffic)

• When you work (day/nighttime)

• In what conditions do you work (weather, safety hazards, tool and equipment use)

Based on these 3 questions, here are the 6 things you should look into before investing in reflective vests and jackets:

ANSI/ISEA: Class 1, Class 2, or Class 3?

We discussed the topic of ANSI/ISEA 107 classes in detail in our blog.

Before you decide what reflective clothing you should be buying for yourself and your team, you must first identify what safety regulations you must adhere to.  Your state OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) decides whether your line of work or your working environment requires you to wear high visibility clothing.

The company is the world’s best High Visibility Vest supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

One handy fact sheet created by Oregon OSHA summarizes who should be wearing reflective clothes at work. If you work in the below industries, you likely need to wear reflective clothing at some point during work hours:

• Roadside construction workers and flaggers,

• Truck drivers

• Building construction crews,

• Railway and airport personnel,

• Surveyors,

• Electricians and other utility workers

• Policemen and other emergency responders

• Warehouse workers

This doesn't mean that the rules are all the same for all of the above professions. While flaggers working at roadside construction sites at night will require the highest visibility, it is not as important if you're working at a warehouse or as a driver.

Once you determine whether OSHA requires you to wear high-vis clothing or not, you can then figure out how reflective your clothing should be.

These requirements are jointly set by ANSI and ISEA and should be compliant with ANSI/ISEA 107 standards. Although these standards get updated every few years like ANSI/ISEA 107-YYYY (where YYYY can be , , , etc.), this doesn't make older publications of it less effective. In fact, the garment industry isn't too quick to catch up with the latest publications. So any high visibility vest or jacket that adheres to ANSI/ISEA 107 will be a great choice, given it's in the right class. So what are those classes?

There are mainly three classes of high visibility apparel: Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3. ANSI/ISEA 107 states that high visibility clothing is made out of 3 key parts: background material, retroreflective material, and combined-performance material. The classification of a high-vis clothing item is mainly dependent on the amount of background and retroreflective material used in the clothing.

In addition to these 3 classes, there are also 3 types: Off-road (O), Roadway(R), and Public Safety(P).

Depending on your working environment, you will need your clothing to adhere to one of these categories. Based on the jobs listed above:

So before you purchase high visibility apparel, make sure you read the product descriptions to check whether the ANSI/ISEA 107 class is the right one for you.

High Visibility Clothing for Different Weather Conditions

There's nothing more frustrating than being expected to wear certain clothes at work that feels too wet, cold, or hot. In our experience, one of the main reasons why workers ditch their safety clothing is for the same reason too hot is a thing and too safe isn't. Reflective clothes aren't something you simply throw on top of your existing clothes. The right material type, thickness, and breathability, along with protection against elements (e.g. ribbed cuffs or a hoodie) is probably the biggest contributor to how comfortable your high-vis clothes will feel.

For example, winter-ready high-vis jackets should have strong wind protection and probably fleece inner lining to keep you warm. Having ribbed cuffs is probably also going to keep the warmth where it belongs too. But make sure you're not TOO hot at the end of the day, and keep in mind that sometimes wearing more layers under a thin high vis jacket is a better option for people who have to go in and out of vehicles or indoor working environments.

Lastly, depending on the temperature and your working environment, your high-vis gear can get covered in sweat and soil. The latter can actually cause you to fail an OSHA inspection if it means that your clothes aren't reflective enough because they are covered in mud. So make sure that what you're purchasing is washable, and that the reflective parts will hold up after many times of washing.

Luckily, our store has all the right high visibility vests, raincoats, shirts, and jackets for every occasion. For example, here's a winter jacket that our users love.

Features & Functionality

No work clothing is complete without having features that make your job easy. From having detachable hoodies to having easily accessible pockets, some many bells and whistles come with high visibility clothes (especially true for heavier or thicker garments).

One of the most useful things to have is pockets that will hold up to heavy use. Our customers carry all kinds of things in their pockets, often heavy and pointy stuff such as hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, and the like. So having pockets with strong seams and zippers is crucial. No one likes going fishing in their pocket because of a hole.

The placement of the pockets is important as well, especially if you're working in confined spaces. Having a chest pocket is great if you need to constantly put and take out things from your pockets.

Colors

The first image that comes to your mind when someone mentions a reflective vest is probably something yellow and shiny. High visibility clothes ARE typically yellow, that's true, but there are many other colors to choose from: orange, black, green, red, and even pink! Having a unique vest color can mean that you can even wear them outside work and look good in them (with the added benefit of staying visible to traffic). Some of our customers use their vests while cycling on the weekends.

It goes without saying, you should check with your supervisor or the workplace standards set by ANSI/ISEA 107 to determine what colors are acceptable in your case. Your jacket should have high contrast with your environment to qualify for ANSI/ISEA 107. Depending on your working conditions, you might be restricted to using yellow/green, orange/red, or red-colored gear. Our product pages always mention the ANSI/ISEA 107 classes when applicable.

Size & Fit

Pay attention to the size of your high-vis gear, especially if you're wearing thick clothing underneath it. When it comes to high visibility jackets and raincoats, it's advisable to buy one size larger than you normally do.  Also, people tend to gain a few pounds over the winter holidays. After coming back to work from vacation, you may find out that it is a little harder than usual to zip up your jacket.

Women account for almost a quarter of our visitors, so we make sure to keep stock of women's and unisex models. This pink high visibility jacket for women is especially popular with our female customers.

Logo Customization

If you're equipping a whole team with high-vis clothing, you may be wondering if you can print your own logo on the clothes. After all, the clothes are highly visible, and so will be your business if your logo is on them. We do offer logo customization and discounts for orders of as low as 20 pieces to support small and medium businesses. Get in touch with your sales team here to learn more.

There are a few things to consider when you're printing logos on high visibility clothing. The logo shouldn't interfere with the reflectivity of the garment. ANSI/ISEA 107 is very peculiar about how much logo area they allow, but our team can help you find the right balance between ANSI compliance and advertising potential.

So those were our tips for what you should be looking out for when buying high visibility clothing. If you still have questions, ask your supervisor, your local OSHA, or the safety experts here at Fonirra what's the best purchase for your needs.

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