Search: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Join Our Mailing List! |
|
|
|
High Visibility Clothing
A wide variety of high visibility clothing. Regulations dictate that roadside workers must wear these for safety reasons.
|
|
|
High Visibility Clothing – Regulations and Uses
In November 2008, a new federal regulation was passed. It states that anyone that is working in the right-of-way of a federal-aid highway must wear high visibility clothing. People required to wear them include construction workers, survey or utility crews, police officers or highway patrol, firefighters, EMT’s, etc. They don’t have to wear them all the time but anytime they meet the “right-of-way” requirement and are in that particular situation, they must abide by the law for their safety as well as the people passing by.
Different situations call for different types of high visibility clothing. This apparel is held to the standards set forth by the American National Standards Institute and is separated into class types. The classes are determined by the level of visibility for each piece of clothing. There are three classes. Class 1 represents clothing that meets the minimum standards for the ANSI. People who usually wear this type are parking lot attendants, and delivery drivers. Class 2 is in the middle of the continuum and is suggested for emergency response and law enforcement, crossing guards, and utility workers (among others). And class 3 represents clothing that has the maximum amount of visibility. Class 3 clothing is recommended for people working within a traffic area and nothing separates them from the traffic, night time workers, and work areas with a lot of activity going on.
When shopping it’s important to take into account the safety of everyone involved. The workers need to be safe as well as other people around them. If you’re a business owner or are the person in charge of purchasing high visibility clothing for your company, it’s also a matter of your safety. Every year approximately 100 or more workers are killed in work-related accidents that may have been avoided with the use of this safety apparel. Not to say that it’s always the case that it could’ve been prevented, but why take that chance? Assess the situation and surroundings the workers will be in. Is there a lot of traffic? Do they work in the dark? These are questions that need to be seriously considered before making a decision on what to buy.
Some career fields do have exceptions for when the workers do not have to wear high visibility clothing. Police officers, for example, do not have to wear it when they’re on their regular patrol assignments. When they’re directing traffic or involved in other work-related jobs which require them to be in near proximity to other high speed traffic, it is a requirement. Because of the risk it imposes, firefighters are not required to wear this type of clothing when they’re in direct danger of a fire. This rule was implemented because the firefighter could actually be more likely to get injured while wearing it. Many people are benefiting from using this safety clothing, if there’s any question in your mind of whether you need it or not, listen to your instincts and invest in your safety.
|
|
|
|
