High-Visibility Vests: Things to Consider When Buying One

-
For workers on certain job sites, standing out is a must—literally. Those working in areas with struck-by hazards and low-light visibility need to be seen to prevent accidents and injuries. This calls for a special personal protective apparel: a hi-vis vest.

High-visibility apparel is a type of clothing made with a luminescent fabric and a reflective material. Designed to make a wearer easily discernible, high-visibility garments can help alert machine operators and drivers of the presence of workers, even in low-light conditions. The American National Standard Institute (ANSI) even requires certain kinds of workers to wear this clothing.

Before you purchase a high-visibility vest for the job, let’s take a look at some of the factors of a quality hi-vis vest.

Brightness & Reflective Material

Depending on the area you’re working in, you have to get a high-visibility vest with the right color. If you’re assigned to the day shift, wearing a fluorescent green high-visibility vest is sufficient. In low-light areas, you have to wear a fluorescent high-visibility vest with a reflective material. But in dark areas, you should be using a brightly colored vest with a retroreflective, glow-in-dark fabric.

Fabric & Fit

Uncomfortable clothes can just be as hazardous as non-hi-vis vests. So you have to find a vest that’s lightweight and comfortable to wear. Most safety vests are made of breathable mesh, which allows airflow. You also need to consider how well the vest fits you. It should fit on top of your clothing, but it shouldn’t be so loose that it can cause snagging incidents.

Types

ANSI has established three types of high-visibility vests:
  • Type O (“off-road”) vests are for those working in areas with struck-by hazards, excluding highway rights-of-way or temporary traffic control (TTC) zones. Workers stationed in warehouses with equipment traffic and mines can wear these vests.
  • Type R (“roadway”) vests are designed for workers in highway rights-of-way, TTC zones, and sites with heavy machinery and work vehicles. These include roadway construction workers, towing operators, airport ground crew, and school crossing guards.
  • Type P (“public safety”) vests are made for emergency responders and law enforcement in areas with exposure to traffic. Firefighters, emergency response teams, and accident site investigators can wear Type P safety vests.

Performance Classes

ANSI has also identified four performance classes, each of which has certain minimum requirements for the design of the hi-vis vest.

  • Class 1 safety vests are typically worn in Type O or off-road areas where traffic speed is below 25 miles per hour. They offer a minimum amount of visibility to make a wearer stand out in a non-complex background.
  • Class 2 safety vests offer better visibility for workers in Type R or roadway areas where traffic speed is over 25 miles per hour. They also provide workers with higher visibility in poor weather conditions.
  • Class 3 safety vests provide workers with the highest visibility in areas where traffic speed exceeds 50 miles per hour. These vests have to cover the arms, and they can be combined with high-visibility gaiters and pants for maximum visibility.
Location: California, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Buying Guide: Office Desks for Engineers and Architects

-
Manually drafting technical drawings and architectural drawings continues to exist on many engineers’ and architects’ to-do lists. But as the world today gears toward cyberspace, most construction professionals create their plans using computers and CAD programs. To suit the needs of modern-day drafting professionals, furniture makers have incorporated innovative features into office furniture design . In this short article, we’ll focus on one of the key components in modern architectural and engineering offices: an office desk. If you’d like to learn the features of the best desks today, you can read our reviews of the top 10 best office desks for engineers and architects . Or read on and check out our tips on choosing an architectural and engineering desk . Work Surface Whether you’re working on technical drawings by hand or designing them on your laptop, a desk with a sizeable work surface can do wonders for your productivity. The amount of space on a table’s surface should pl
Read more

Buying Guide: How to Choose the Best Height-Adjustable Desk

-
When we talk about ergonomic office furniture , one kind of table comes to mind: a height-adjustable desk. This type of desk is exactly what it sounds like—it’s designed to have an adjustable height. But why does this desk even exist? For one, height-adjustable desks are used by workers who prefer to switch from a sitting position to a standing position throughout the day. Since sitting all day often leads to various diseases, such as repetitive strain injuries, diabetes, and obesity, furniture design has evolved to meet these problems of the modern workforce; thus, height-adjustable desks, also known as sit-stand desks, came into existence. Comfort is the name of the game of height-adjustable desks. And to achieve that goal, you have to get the best one out there. Here are some of the things you need to consider before you buy a sit-stand desk online . Manual Cranking vs Pneumatic vs Electric Two of the most common height-adjustable desks on the market are manual and electric. A
Read more

Luxor Ergonomic Furniture

-
A seven-decades-old industry leader in innovative furniture solutions, Luxor has been manufacturing products that foster productivity, collaboration, and efficiency in the modern work environment. Indeed, Luxor “turns workspace into space that works better.” This office-furniture brand aims to bring luxurious-looking yet functional and affordable furniture and equipment to offices and even schools of today. From mobile charging carts and AV carts to dry erase boards, Luxor products meet the working and learning needs of employees and students alike across the country. But if there’s one thing that Luxor is fairly known for, it’s the brand’s ergonomic office furniture . Check out what the brand has to offer on Engineer Warehouse, an authorized Luxor distributor , or read on to find out more about Luxor’s ergonomic furniture. Monitor Stands and Mounts No more craning your neck to see the screen better, and no more squinting your eyes to read the words on the audiovisual presentati
Read more