ISO 20471 class 1 standard: signaling clothing

The ISO 20471 standard

Security is essential for any agent and employee working in a risk area. It is for this reason that the ISO 20471 standard was introduced and replaced the old EN 471 standard. It defines the specifications required for signaling clothing in the professional field. This is a standard specific to a particular category of PPE: the high-visibility vest, the jacket and/or high visibility trousers for use at night or at the end of the day in winter, particularly for public works professionals However, there are three classes in the ISO 20471 standard. Today we are going to talk about of Class 1. But first, let's review the references concerning this European regulation.

Why does ISO 20471 replace EN 471?

The ISO 20471 standard is the new regulation for high visibility clothing that replaces the old EN 471 standard. The differentiating elements relate to the new requirements that respond to new activities. The quality of the materials used in the manufacture of signaling clothing has also been reviewed, in particular the reflective property of the fabric which requires high performance requirements to signal the presence of the user in dangerous situations .

To sum up, the ISO 20471 standard is different from the EN 471 standard in the following points:

• The new standard contains new safety clauses to better protect wearers of high visibility clothing.
• Reflectance and fluorescence efficiency tests are carried out both on new fabrics and on fabrics that have been washed at least 5 times.
• Class 3 high visibility garments are revised with the addition of reflective strips and fluorescent fabric on the torso, including on the sleeves and legs (in the case of pants). Visibility should also be 360° for better protection. The distribution of reflective and fluorescent materials must be 50% between the front side and the back side.
• On the EN 471 standard, the color, reflection, luminescence, resistance to stress and robustness of the materials were severely imposed. With ISO 20471, so are the properties of the contrast material.
• The ISO 20471 standard redefines the use of pictograms.

What are the changes to Class 1 high visibility clothing?

According to the new ISO 20471 standard, Class 1 signaling clothing can be worn by field agents and employees working in a situation where the risk of an accident is minimal. They are therefore not designed for work on the road which requires a specific type of protection. However, they can be used in an enclosed environment such as in a company or in a car park for example, or even under a light and where the traffic does not exceed 30 km/h.

With regard to the design of high visibility clothing, the ISO 20471 Class 1 standard defines that the fluorescent area must be 0.14 m² and the reflective area must be 0.10 m².