High Visibility Information
High Visibility Information
The requirements and the facts
Being struck by a moving vehicle is the second most common cause of death in the workplace today and accounted for 17% of all fatal injuries in 2002/3. It is therefore essential that any high visibility garments issued to employees conform to all relevant performance standards (EN 471, European Standard for High Visibility Clothing), and are worn and maintained correctly for maximum protection.
So what does this mean?
In order to comply with all UK and European legislation, you need to ensure that the high visibility garments you buy comply with the following: High visibility clothing conforming to EN ISO 20471 (EN471:2003), Table 1, Class 2 or 3, which must be worn at all times. The colour of the background materials should normally be fluorescent yellow from Table 2 of EN ISO 20471 (EN471:2003). The retro-reflective materials should comply with Table 5. Reflective material enhances your visibility in low light situations. This reflective material returns light to a light source ? such as vehicle headlights ? creating a bright image that motorists are more likely to see from a distance. As a result, motorists and pedestrians have more time to react.
Hi Visibility Garment Types
Hi-Vis garment types are grouped into three classes based on the conspicuity provided, with the classes dictating the minimum quantities of background and retro-reflective materials to be used.
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Band of retro-reflective materiel shall not be less the 50mm wide. Minimum background material 0.80m². Minimum retro-reflective material 0.20m². A revised version of EN ISO 20471 was published in March 2004. One of the major changes in this version is that horizontal reflective bands can now have an incline of +20°. |
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Band of retro-reflective materiel shall not be less the 50mm wide. Minimum background material 0.50m². Minimum retro-reflective material 0.13m². |
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Band of retro-reflective materiel shall not be less the 50mm wide. Minimum background material 0.14m². Minimum retro-reflective material 0.10m². Where enhanced visibility is an advantage, but for limited risk/off road purposes only. |
Highway agency manual of contract
documents for highway works
Produced by the Highways Agency for all its contractors working
on main or trunk roads in the UK. All those working on or near
the roads should wear high visibility warning clothing
(Class 2 or 3) complying to EN ISO 20471 paragraph 4.2.3(b).
'Shall have two horizontal bands of retroreflective material not
less than 50mm apart from around the torso and bands of
retro-reflective material joining the uppermost torso band from
the front to the back over each shoulder'. In addition on
motorways or other high speed roads full length sleeved
garments should also comply with paragraph 4.2.4
'Full length sleeves'.
Care and maintenance hi-visibility
garment tips
* The dirtier a Hi-Vis garment gets, the less effective it becomes.
* Make sure that garments are washed regularly, or disposed of
when permanently soiled.
* Do NOT allow sections to be cut off or removed - the level of
protection they provide depends on the areas of fluorescent and
retro-reflective materials included within the garment.
* Make sure that the garment is worn fastened at all times to
ensure maximum protection and reduce the risk of entanglement
with moving machinery etc.
