A Complete Guide to Hi-Vis Jackets

Mark Kelvin
3 min readNov 2, 2022

Protecting industrial, utility, electrical, and construction workers is a significant responsibility. It demands the use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) as well as, in certain situations, high-visibility clothing. You may have seen staff wearing flashy hi-vis jackets on their way to a building site or a roadworks zone.

High-visibility workwear is an essential component of any safety equipment. Workers use high-visibility clothing to improve visibility on the job site and, ultimately, workplace safety. But there must be a query such as “How?” Consider yourself High visibility clothing is regularly used to alert drivers and other machine operators to the presence of personnel. It is essential in dangerous conditions, such as near roadways, at night, and in areas where personnel may be obscured by trees, traffic barriers, or industrial equipment.

Hi-Vis Jacket: What is it?

Hi-vis clothing is brightly coloured protective apparel with reflective tape or materials for greater visibility. Assume you’re driving at night, talking on your phone with a friend (which is strictly incorrect and should be avoided), and you fail to notice the construction sign ahead. A luminous jacket will come in helpful at this point.

High-vis Jackets: Its Primary Function

Hi-vis clothing is intended to make the person wearing it visible in low light or darkness when lit by automobile and industrial equipment headlights. The colours of the vests or jackets contrast sharply with the background colours and are easily identified. The vests’ unique characteristic guarantees that the person wearing them is immediately identified or that actions by others are avoided during a rescue operation or a near disaster.

What Colors Should You Choose for a High Visibility Jacket?

Hi-vis jackets are available in several colours, and the colour choice is typically determined by the scenario. They are often a specific shade of green-yellow, glow in the dark, or both, allowing them to provide visibility regardless of the time of day or weather conditions.

According to Standards Australia research, fluorescent lime, fluorescent orange, and fluorescent yellow are three colours considered ideal for high-visibility clothing backgrounds. The colours red and orange

When hi-vis clothing stands out from the rest of the workplace, it performs well. If you work in an industry with a lot of orange equipment, for example, bright lime will be a better choice since it will stand out more.

The Three Kinds of High Visibility Jackets?

High-Visibility Safety gear specifies specifications for retroreflective performance, background material colours and brightness, and how much of the body should be covered by high-visibility components. Clothing that provides electrical flash and flame protection is subject to additional requirements.

Keep in note that, while ANSI/ISEA 107 clothing class criteria are equivalent. All safety vests are rated and certified by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Safety vests are rated as Class 1, Class 2, or Class 3 based on the amount of reflective material and high-contrast fabric used to construct them.

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