Choosing the best safety vest for your workers can feel unnecessarily complicated. There are many components to high-visibility vests that can influence your decision; coverage, color, style, and class may have an influence on your needs, just to name a few details. If you're struggling with how to choose a safety vest, consider this complete guide.
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A high-vis safety vest is a piece of bright, reflective clothing that allows workers in hazardous areas to be seen. High-vis safety vests are typically worn around the torso with the bulk of the material covering the full torso area, chest, and shoulders with the arms left uncovered.
High vests are typically worn for protection during the night when there is no light source available. When a car passes by a worker wearing a high-vis vest, the worker will be illuminated due to the reflective material, allowing them to be seen by the driver.
A high-vis safety vest, or ANSI safety vest, is a necessary and required piece of safety gear that allows workers to remain visible in low visibility situations. They are also necessary for workers who must divert their attention from traffic to perform work. This is important because it helps prevent accidents and injury by allowing the worker to remain accounted for and easily identified on the job.
High-vis vests are especially helpful for low visibility and harsh weather conditions, like rain or snow, and are necessary for workers and their protection.
The color of the vest is important because certain colors are better suited for various work environments. Bright vest colors are essential and better suited for outdoor areas, while dark high-vis vests are appropriate for indoor areas such as warehouses where the lighting is more consistent.
You should consider the classification of the vest before choosing one for your employees. Vests are rated and approved by the American National Standards Institute and classified into three major categories: Class 1, Class 2, or Class 3. Each class has its own distinctions.
Consider the classifications below:
Class 1 safety vests are ideal for workers who are located in low-traffic areas or areas with a speed limit at or below 25 MPH. Class 1 vests are ideal for parking attendants and roadside repair to name a few low-impact environment roles.
Class 1 vests are characterized by yellow or orange vest colors with a minimum of 155 square inches of reflective tape. These reflective strips are required to go around the middle of the torso area and over the shoulders.
Class 2 safety vests are used for environments that are higher risk. These vests are to be worn by workers in areas where traffic is at or below 50 MPH. Class 2 vests are larger in design for more coverage and visibility and require a minimum of 775 square inches of yellow or orange fabric with 201 square inches of reflective strips.
There are a couple of fabric options you can consider providing your workers with for different wear or comfortability options. There are cotton fabrics or polyester which both provide a different feel and experience. The different fabrics also provide various benefits, like flame or water resistance. Consider the field of work to decide which vest fabric better suits your workers' needs.
The season is important to consider before purchasing the vest. It's ideal to choose a safety vest for warmer weather conditions like summer, spring, and early fall. These seasons are ideal for workers to maintain comfort during days with intense heat or even enjoyable weather like windy spring days.
Different vests have different features that you may find useful for your workers. For example, you can consider a safety vest that includes pockets for pens, cellphones, or other essential items.
You may also find features such as Velcro or zippers to be convenient and useful for workers to increase versatility and comfort. Zipper and velcro designs are not only aesthetically pleasing, but they offer a practical solution to easily putting on and taking off this safety wear.
There are various ways to wear a vest or high-vis wear. For example, instead of a vest made of fabric with full torso coverage, you can opt for a safety sash that provides the same reflective aspect that your workers need to stay safe while allowing them to wear whatever practical and appropriate clothing they want underneath. You can find sashes of different class levels which provide various amounts of coverage depending on their classification. You can even add reflective wrist and ankle bands for added coverage.
There are plenty of designs for you to choose from to suit your needs and appeal to the eye. For example, there are camo high-vis vests that are ideal for workers who are in outdoor environments and need an extra layer of safety. There are multicolored (orange on top, black on bottom) that meet classification standards while offering an alternative style.
At times, the safety vests may not be ideal for all body types. Women may find themselves feeling swallowed by the gear and not adequately shaped in the gear. You can consider a women's hi-vis safety vest for the women on your team who desire to cinch their vests to avoid a baggy and shapeless appearance. These vests are adjustable and add a customizable factor to the vest which is ideal for comfortability.
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The information contained on this page is for promotional and informational purposes only. All equipment should be used by trained professional tradesmen who have been trained how to use the equipment described on this page, and understand the risks of their work. PowerPak assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the use or misuse of any product purchased. In no event shall PowerPak be liable for any direct, special, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other torts, arising out of or in connection with the use of this information or the contents of this page. PowerPak reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modifications to the contents on this page at any time without prior notice.
If you know what you need, safety vests are very straightforward, but without all the information, you'll pay for the wrong vest. They may seem all the same, but Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) enforcement will tell you otherwise. ANSI (American National Standards Institute) breaks down safety vests into types and classes to help narrow your search (ANSI/ISEA 107-).
Let's dive in.
There are three different classes of safety vest, each geared towards specific situations. As with almost every safety situation, there is nothing wrong with opting for a vest that is a higher class than the minimum requirements for the work zone.
Safety vests are categorized into 3 'types,' and each type splits into 3 'classes.'
For this article, we will mainly focus on Type O and Type R safety vests. This 'type and class' system is not just for vests but for all HVSA (High Visibility Safety Apparel) such as hi-vis pants, hi-vis jumpsuits, jackets, etc.
ANSI updated its documentation defining all things safety apparel in (ANSI/ISEA 107-)
This one is simple. Class 1 is the only HVSA Type O safety vest and has the lowest required amount of high-visibility material.
For more High Visibility Vestinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.
Class 1 Safety Vests are for the lowest-risk areas. It could be situations where you are working a safe distance from the active roadway, but there is still potential for an incident. They have a safety yellow or safety orange background, and a minimum of 155 square inches of reflective strips. They are lightweight and sleeveless.
Class 1 safety vests are for work conditions without vehicles traveling at highway speeds. It could be where traffic is traveling no faster than 25 miles per hour. The ANSI documentation also states that the background of the worksite should not be visually complex.
Class 2 (Type R) HSVA safety vests have bumped up requirements. Like Class 1 (Type O), these vests are usually sleeveless.
The industry rule of thumb is to require these vests on worksites where traffic flow is 25mph ' 50mph. These safety vests are more noticeable during the day or night at greater distances when compared to class 1 safety vests.
Class 2 Safety Vests are larger than Class 1 vests, Class 2 vests incorporate a specific amount of background material into the mix. To be a Class 2 vest, it must have no less than 775 square inches of safety yellow or safety orange background material to it. There must also be no less than 201 square inches of reflective (Reflective or Combined-Performance Materials) striping across the vest. These are required for roadway and traffic zones where traffic is moving no faster than 50 miles per hour.
PowerPak offers many options for those in need of class 2 safety vests.
Class 3 (Type R) HSVA safety vests have the highest material requirements compared to Class 1 and 2. The industry rule of thumb is worksites with traffic traveling over 50 mph should require Class 3 safety vests.
Class 3 Safety Vests are for the most hazardous environments where visibility is paramount. Class 3 vest provides the most background material and the most retroreflective striping. In many cases, these vests have sleeves. These vests must have, at minimum, 1,240 square inches of safety yellow or safety orange background, and at least 310 square inches of reflective striping.
If you're in need of class 3 safety vests quickly, PowerPak offers a wide range of options.
As mentioned, all ANSI classes of safety vests must have minimum amounts of TWO types of material. Background material and retroreflective material/combined performance material.
Background material and retroreflective material/combined performance material. Background material is fluorescent colored fabric, usually safety orange or safety yellow. It's the brightly colored mesh or fabric you think of when thinking of safety vests. This material is highly visible during the day.
Retro reflective material is the striping you see on safety vests. People often confuse the term retro reflective and reflective, but they are different, and they perform differently.
When light hits something reflective, like a mirror, at an angle, that light bounces off in the opposite direction. Retroreflective reflects the light directly back towards the light source. This material is highly visible at night with direction lights, such as car headlights. You'll often find retroreflective tape in silver, white, and gray.
All these materials are required to meet various ANSI standards.
A vest may have Combined-Performance material in place of retroreflective tape. Combined-performance materials/tapes have retroreflective properties and meet the fluorescent requirements of background material. Some vests have combined-performance striping that matches the background material giving the best daytime visibility without sacrificing nighttime visibility.
Although OSHA has no specific guidelines on vest colors, some colors work better in certain environments than others. Orange vests are ideal for settings with a lot of vegetation, a blue sky or yellow sunlight. Orange-colored vests also work well in wide-open areas, particularly in the daytime.
Yellow safety vests are perfect for night work when sunlight is minimal because fluorescent yellow is more noticeable from a distance against a dark background. Yellow vests are common among construction workers, emergency responders and utility repair people.
The general rule of thumb is to choose the most noticeable color for each specific environment. Learn more about safety vest colors here.
Depending on the supplier, vests can range anywhere from a few dollars for simple designs to several hundred dollars for products with reflective tape and multiple features. Because they have the fewest amount of safety material, Class 1 vests are typically the least expensive. As the material requirements increase, the prices generally become more expensive.
Flame and tear-resistant vests usually cost much more than those without extra durability features.
Safety vests of any class or type can come with several features, and many worksites will require some of these options. Flame-Resistance: ANSI offers manufacturers the option of six different flame-resistant standards for rating safety vests. The test method is on the vest label.
Understanding the classes is one thing, but you'll also need to consider the specifics of your worksite when it comes to choosing the best class-rated vest for your team members. Remember, there's nothing wrong with going with a Class 3 Vest for every site ' greater visibility is never a bad thing.
Consider the general visibility at your work site, how far from high-speed traffic your workers will be, and if there are physical barriers between the workers and traffic. A Class 2 vest is perfect for utility operations and volunteer work, but not good enough for flagging operations. A Class 3 vest is necessary for incident response, particularly at night, but is overkill for a landscaper. A Class 1 vest is never good enough to be worn within the right-of-way of a high-speed highway.
You should also opt for color that differentiates the worker from the environment. Safety yellow isn't going to stick out against a bright yellow or light green environment, just as safety orange won't stick out as much in a sand or desert environment.
One thing to note, as with all personal protective equipment, proper maintenance is important. The reflective qualities of the vests can diminish over time ' sun can fade them, they can get dirty, and the reflective material can rub away through heavy use. Most daily-wear vests have a service life of six months or so, while moderate use could last up to three years. If a vest is torn, dirty, soiled, worn or faded, it must be replaced before going on-site.
Work zone safety is paramount to us here at PowerPak, and our team members are standing by to help you find the most efficient and cost-effective solution to preventing incidents stemming from poor visibility on your work site. Contact our team, they are here to help keep you and your team members safe and sound!
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