The most common visibility-related hazards are pedestrian vehicle incidents and struck-by objects/equipment, with more struck-by vehicle deaths involving construction workers than any other occupation (1 in 4).
6,110 injuries
330 deaths
$659,200,200*
196,140 injuries 716 deaths $9,111,400,000*Source: 2020 BLS / NSC: *$1.22M per death + $42K per injury
Where there’s high activity, there’s struck-by risk—but especially in industries involving heavy machinery (75% of fatalities involve equipment such as trucks or cranes).
Of course you know hi-vis is key to preventing low-light/struck-by accidents (in addition to engineering and administrative controls like traffic control planning and designated safe zones for heavy equipment).
But do you know what hi-vis is right for the job according to ANSI/ISEA 107 (a.k.a. the hi-vis standard)? Gold star if you do. If not, scroll on and you'll be an expert in no time.
Hi-vis is a workwear staple but, with annual fatalities nearing the thousands, compliance is about more than just looking the part.
ANSI 107 is the industry regulation that sets design requirements and performance testing criteria for all types and classes of high-visibility wear, particularly the amount of required fluorescent background material and reflective to keep workers safe and seen.
Enhances daytime visibility by adding contrast against background environment
Lime
Orange
Red
Enhances low-light nighttime visibility by reflecting light back towards the original source
Solid
Segmented
Combined
Performance
Creates biomotion that signals awareness to the brain that it is looking at a living, breathing thing
To meet ANSI 107, every high visibility garment requires both a type and a class. Here’s how to decode it.
For off-road, indoors or controlled environments, parking lots, festivals, extracting/refining oil & gas, warehouse/factories
Retail
Warehousing
For environments with moving traffic or equipment traffic. Minimum level of protection for workers exposed to roadway rights-or-way and temporary traffic control (TIC) zones
Construction
Transportation
Airlines
For environments with moving traffic or equipment traffic, emergency/incident response, police, fire, EMS only
Emergency
Response
Police
Fire
EMS
Minimum hi-vis materials needed to differentiate wearer
MINIMAL
HIGHEST
217 in2
155 in2
1 in2
Additional hi-vis materials for better definition of the human form (a.k.a., biomotion)
MINIMAL
HIGHEST
775 in2
201 in2
1.28 in2
Most hi-vis materials for best definition of the human form in complex backgrounds
MINIMAL
HIGHEST
1240 in2
310 in2
2 in2
Reflective tape on sleeves OR Class 2 top + Class E bottoms
Garments that do not classify when worn alone, but achieve Class 3 when worn with other Class 2 or Class 3 garment
MINIMAL
HIGHEST
465 in2
109 in2
2 in2
Jobsite wear and tear is inevitable. Recognizing your gear’s service life is critical to staying safe.
Retire your hi-vis if the fabric or reflective is…
Torn/cracked
Heavily soiled
Faded or dull
Burned or otherwise damaged
No longer comfortable
*Psst.. make sure to cut it in half so it can no longer be worn by anyone.
Now that you’ve got the basics down, cross your types and dot your classes to find the right wear for your worksite.
Minimum amounts of protection suitable for off-road, indoors or controlled environments such as parking lots
The baseline for protection in construction and transportation, with increased fluorescent background and additional retroreflective to ensure visibility around moving vehicle and equipment traffic
The greatest amount of protection most suitable for busy roadways, construction and transportation zones with the most biomotion and reflectivity
Specifically for emergecy/incident response, police, fire and EMS working in environments with moving traffic or equipment traffic
Pants, shorts and other gear that do not meet standards on their own but, when combined with Class 2 or Class 3 garments, achieve Class 3 classification
In addition, any high visibility apparel manufacturer worth their weight in reflective tape should be able to provide you with a Declaration of Conformity stating how many square inches of both fluorescent fabric and tape are present on the garment, who makes these materials and the latest test report number ensuring those materials meet the requirements of ISEA/ANSI 107.
