What are the regulations surrounding high visibility clothing?

High-visibility workwear is designed for workers carrying out their work at night or in low-light environments. However, this type of clothing must meet certain standards to be validated on the work equipment market. There are regulations to follow.

Wearing high-visibility clothing: for which jobs?

According to the Labor Code, an employer must provide workers with personal protective equipment (PPE ). These tools depend on the function performed by the worker. For the wearing of high-visibility clothing, the persons concerned are public works professionals such as workers in the field of transport (road, rail or maritime), public construction sites, airport runways, garbage collection and emergency services.

What materials are used for high visibility PPE?

A high visibility work equipment is made from 2 materials:

Reflective or fluorescent material

It allows visibility and contrast during the day. It reacts to the UV rays of daylight to ensure better visibility. It exists in yellow, orange and red. The color is chosen according to: the working environment and the contrast. It does not work overnight.

Retro-reflective material

It is presented in the form of strips. This material reflects the light from car headlights or lamps and allows visibility at night or in dark areas. The retro-reflective materials are divided into two technologies:

• The microbead that is suitable for extreme conditions of use. They are generally flexible and comfortable bandages.
• The microprism that provides color. It is also orientation sensitive.

The EN 471 standard became ISO 20471

The French standard EN 471 was created in August 1994 stipulating the characteristics that high-visibility signaling clothing must have. It was canceled in October 2013 and was renewed by the ISO 20471 standard.

The EN 20471 standard thus makes it possible to signal the presence of a person exercising on dangerous or obscure ground. All sides of the signaling garment must be designed with high visibility materials in order to see the wearer in a 360� peripheral. This standard is divided into three classes according to the retro-reflective surface and the surface of reflective or fluorescent material with which the garment is equipped.

Class 1

Class 1 safety clothing is composed of the lowest level, i.e. with a retro-reflective surface of 0.10 m� and a fluorescent surface of 0.14 m�. Class 1 PPE is often found on accessories such as harnesses, gloves or hats.

Class 2

Class 2 signalling clothing is composed of intermediate levels with a retro-reflective surface of 0.13 m� and a reflective surface of 0.50 m�. It can be found on T-shirts, vests or even chasubles.

Class 3

Class 3 safety clothing is made of the highest level with a surface of retro-reflective strips of 0.20 m� and fluorescent surface of 0.80 m�. This class includes parkas, down jackets, long-sleeved jackets, trousers and overalls.

Yellow, orange or red high visibility clothing?

According to the EN 20471 standard, the color of high visibility clothing is fluorescent yellow, fluorescent orange or red. There is no specific color for a profession, the garment will have to meet the criteria of the European standard concerning class and day and night visibility.

The choice of visible clothing and the color according to the profession

Although high-visibility safety clothing is essential for avoid any risk of accident, a few things should also be specified before choosing the model and class:

The work environment

The first criterion to take into account is the working environment. It combines the season and the workplace. If it's summer, t-shirts, polo shirts and high visibility vests are best suited. In case of winter seasons, sweaters, parkas and pants with high visibilities are the most suitable. As for the work environment, it will be necessary to define whether it is in an urban or rural environment, on the edges of roads or other.

The tasks that the wearer performs

A worker can perform tasks requiring more movement, so he must wear fitted PPE allowing great freedom of movement. The comfort of the professional must also be taken into account so that he can carry out the work to be done.

Care for high visibility clothing

In order for PPE to fulfill its role of protecting professionals over the long term, it must be well maintained. In the event of improper cleaning, the retro-reflective strips may be damaged or damaged.

High visibility clothing is washable by following the manufacturer's washing instructions. It will then be necessary to read the label of the garment carefully on the washing cycle to be respected.

To better protect and extend the life of high-visibility items, avoid:

• use bleach or fabric softener,
• machine drying