Hi-Vis Apparel Selection: Matching the Garment to the Environment and Task Risk

Choosing the right High-Visibility (Hi-Vis) safety apparel is a critical step in workplace safety, especially for workers near traffic or heavy machinery. This choice isn't just about color; it's a careful assessment of job site hazards, which directly determines the required performance class, garment type, and specialized features. The industry standard governing this selection is ANSI/ISEA 107.

Key Considerations for Visibility Class Selection

The core of Hi-Vis selection rests on three factors that dictate the ANSI Class your apparel must meet.

1. Traffic Speed and Proximity: The Class Driver

The speed of adjacent vehicular traffic and how close a worker is to it are the primary drivers for selecting an ANSI/ISEA 107 performance class. Higher speeds require garments with more fluorescent and retroreflective material to ensure drivers have a longer reaction time.

2. Visual Complexity and Background

Fluorescent material provides maximum visibility during the day, while retroreflective material is essential for low-light and nighttime conditions.

• Complex Backgrounds: Work zones with high visual clutter (e.g., heavy equipment, construction materials, natural foliage) require higher-class garments with more fluorescent material (typically yellow-green or orange-red) to provide sharp contrast against the background.
• Low-Light Conditions (Night/Dawn/Dusk): The retroreflective material (the silver stripes) becomes the main visibility element. Class 3 apparel has significantly more retroreflective material, often on the limbs, to help define the human form in motion for approaching motorists.

Vest vs. Full Clothing: The Coverage Difference

The amount of high-visibility material directly correlates to the required ANSI class, which often determines the type of garment necessary.

Hi-Vis Vests (Commonly Class 1 or 2)

Vests are an outer layer worn over other clothing. They are effective for moderate-risk settings but have limitations for high-risk work.

• Typical Compliance: Vests generally provide the minimum required material for Class 1 or Class 2 visibility, covering only the torso.
• Functional Difference: Vests offer great layering flexibility and are often the simplest, most cost-effective option.
• Compliance Constraint: They cannot meet the requirements for Class 3 on their own because they lack high-visibility material on the sleeves and legs.

Full Clothing Sets (Required for Class 3)

Full clothing sets include shirts, jackets, pants, and coveralls. These garments are required when the job hazard demands the highest level of visibility.

• Achieving Class 3: A garment must provide 360-degree visibility and include retroreflective material on the sleeves and pant legs. This level of coverage is essential for the worker to be seen from all angles and at greater distances.
• Class E Ensemble: While a pair of Hi-Vis pants or shorts (designated as Class E apparel) is not a full class on its own, wearing a Class E lower garment in combination with a Class 2 upper garment (like a vest or shirt) creates a compliant Class 3 ensemble.
• Layering: For cold weather, ensure all outer layers (jackets, rain gear) are the same or higher ANSI Class as the required garment underneath.

Specialty Hazards: Integrating Protection and Visibility

In many industrial settings, the risk of being struck by vehicles is compounded by other hazards like fire or machinery. Specialty garments must meet both the visibility (ANSI/ISEA 107) and the protection standard.

• Flame Resistance (FR): Workers in petrochemical, electrical, or welding environments require garments that comply with NFPA 2112 (flash fire) or similar standards. A garment must be inherently FR or chemically treated to resist ignition and self-extinguish. It must also have fluorescent and retroreflective materials that maintain their visibility and FR properties.
• Arc Flash Protection: Electrical utility workers need apparel that is rated against the thermal hazards of an electrical arc flash, complying with NFPA 70E and rated with an Arc Thermal Performance Value (ATPV). For these workers, FR/Arc-rated Hi-Vis apparel is mandatory, ensuring the garment won't melt onto the skin.
• Breakaway Features: Garments used around moving machinery, belts, or rollers (like those in a large warehouse or conveyor system) should include breakaway features (e.g., five-point breakaway vests). These features allow the garment to tear away easily if snagged, preventing the worker from being pulled into the equipment.

Selecting the right Hi-Vis apparel requires a thorough hazard assessment—never compromise on the required ANSI class, and always integrate specialized protection when necessary. Your life literally depends on it.

For more information on High Visibility garments, CLICK HERE.

goSafe offers a wide variety of High Visibility Apparel that is customizable on-site by our Customization Department. We also maintain a constant, ready-to-ship supply of FR Clothing and Safety Footwear in our 'Core FR' department. For more information on these products or any of our other safety and PPE products, please contact us at sales@gosafe.com.

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