ANSI High Visibility Clothing Standard
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Protect your workers
by following the new
ANSI standard for high visibility clothing
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 Do
your employees work near vehicular traffic? Then they must
wear high visibility clothing so that they can be seen by
motorists. This new standard, ANSI/ISEA 107-1999, published
in June, 1999, is the first uniform, authoritative guide
for the design, performance specifications, and use of high-visibility
and reflective clothing for employees. This standard was modeled
after the European standard EN471 by ANSI (American National
Standards Institute) and ISEA (International Safety Equipment
Association).
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has
recently taken a greater interest in high visibility clothing
and work situations in which it should be worn. There have
been organizations that have already been cited under 29CFR
1910.132 for not having their workers wear clothing that
ensured their conspicuity and/or visibility. In the citations,
OSHA named compliance with the ANSI/ISEA 107-1999 standard
for high visibility safety clothing as a method to ensure
visibility of workers from all directions under adverse
lighting conditions.
Nighttime construction has heightened the probability
that workers will be struck by a motor vehicle. Crews working
between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. are three times more likely to
be struck, and 25% of all fatal accidents occur during
this time period. |
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The frightening fact is that
the barricades and cones found on roadway construction sites
have more reflective material than the employees working
next to them. Here is a breakdown of the square footage of
reflective material found on various pieces of equipment:
vests worn by workers have 1 sq. ft.; cones
have 2 sq. ft.; barricades have 4 sq.
ft.; barrels have 12 sq. ft.; and roll-up
signs have 16 sq. ft. |
| The new high visibility clothing meeting the
ANSI/ISEA 107-1999 standard falls into one of three classes.
The classes are determined according to the risk. Class
1 High Visibility Clothing are worn when workers are
well separated from traffic, and the nearby vehicles and
equipment are traveling at speeds less than 25 mph. Some
situations may be parking lot attendants, shopping cart
retrievers, warehouse workers, roadside or sidewalk maintenance
workers and delivery vehicle drivers. |
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Class
2 High Visibility Clothing are worn for workers who
are on or near roadways. The traffic may be traveling at speeds
between 25 and 50 mph. Some situations may be roadway construction
workers, utility workers, survey crews, railway workers, school
crossing guards, high-volume parking or toll-gate personnel,
airport baggage handlers/ground crews, emergency response
personnel, law enforcement personnel, and accident site investigators.
Class 2 is the most popular garment. |
| Class
3 High Visibility Clothing are worn for workers in
high risk situations and allow them to be seen from a minimum
distance of 1,280 feet. These are worn when traffic speeds
exceed 50 mph. Some situations may be roadway construction
workers, utility workers, survey crews, and emergency response
personnel.
Note: Check with your local Department of Transportation
(DOT). Some states and counties now require compliance
with the ANSI standard.
Click
here for more ANSI high visibility compliant garments.
Other Hi-vis Items:
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