The Hidden Meaning of High Visibility Vests – Uncovered

High visibility vests are a type of PPE which combines the use of fluorescent materials and retro reflective stripes. This combination helps enhance visibility during the day as well as at night.

This is critical for the safety of those working near moving vehicles or on public access roadways. High visibility clothing can benefit construction, railway and airport workers, emergency services, etc.

Still, many people choose not to wear this safety workwear, only to realise down the track that it was a bad idea. The fact of the matter is you never know when you might be in danger.

Deciding not to wear your PPE can result in serious injury or death. Statistics for 2017 show that one of the top two causes of death in Singapore were accidents involving vehicles on public roads or at worksites.

There are 3 different classes of hi vis vests approved for different work activities and they should all meet the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standard.

It’s time to find out how to dress your workers properly before they hit the road. But before we set out to uncover the hidden meaning of high visibility vests, these 2017 Singapore work-related injury stats will give you something to reflect on.

Class 1 Safety Vests Are Worn in Low-Risk Areas

Class 1 safety vests are intended for off-road use in low impact areas. It’s those work environments where work is performed at a safe distance from a roadway. Those are the lowest risk areas since vehicle and equipment traffic speed does not exceed 25 mph.

Different classes have different amounts of fluorescent material and retro reflective stripping.

To meet the ANSI standard as a Class 1 industrial garment, a reflective safety vest needs to have at least 217 square inches of fluorescent background material and 155 square inches of reflective tape.

Commonly used by:

• Parking service attendants
• Warehouse workers
• Delivery vehicle drivers

Touring the jobsite #earthdesignsc #wearyourppe

A post shared by holley bloss owings (@holleybs) on Aug 17, 2017 at 2:56pm PDT