High visibility (high-vis) clothing is a key part of the health and safety environment of many businesses, with companies in a huge variety of industries providing it as personal protective equipment. Here is our quick guide to high-vis clothing and when it should be worn.
What is high-vis clothing?
High-vis clothing is specially designed to make the wearer very easy to see in places that are potentially hazardous. Typically, the clothing includes trousers, jackets, vests and hats or helmets. Usually either fluorescent yellow or orange and supplemented with reflective patches or strips, you can see this type of clothing on everyone from crossing guards to warehouse workers.
When you provide high-vis clothing for your employees, make sure that you do not just adopt a one-size-fits-all approach – too loose, and the clothing can become a hazard (tripping over or getting stuck in equipment) while, if it’s too tight, your staff will take their earliest opportunity to take it off. The people wearing the clothing must be comfortable doing so, or there is likely to be resistance which can cause them to work dangerously.
When should it be worn?
The simple answer is: any time personnel might be in danger if they cannot be easily seen. Some common situations where high-vis would be considered a requirement are:
Road work
If you have employees working outside, at night, on roads – they need to be seen. Provide them with high visibility jackets and trousers to ensure that drivers can clearly see them from a distance and reduce the chance of potentially lethal accidents. A second consideration is if your personnel are working in the cold or foul weather, then you can provide high-vis clothing that is designed for this, with padding and/or waterproofing to keep them warm and dry.
Warehouse
In the warehouse, it can be easy for people to almost blend in with the surroundings, particularly as there is typically not a uniform requirement. As a result, a busy forklift driver might not easily recognise that there is a person in their way until it is too late to avoid a collision.
Construction
Along with a hard-hat, construction workers should always be outfitted with high-vis clothing while on site. The reflective part might not be as important in this situation – unless you are working at night – but the bright colours allow workers to see each other at a distance, and when you are working around heavy machinery this can be lifesaving.
Occasional outdoor tasks
A little general – but if you employ people who are out in the dark for any reason (litter picking, cleaning your outdoor areas, trolley collecting, etc) then they should really be kitted out with high-vis clothing. They might only need a jacket rather than the whole head-to-toe option, but it is important that drivers can see them from far away.
The regulations
The requirements for high visibility clothing (the clothing itself, not when it should be worn) are covered in the British Standard BS EN 471 – items marked with this standard should conform to the standard, and thus be bright and long-lasting enough to perform as required.