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Hi Visibility Safety Vests

In the 1930s, a man was injured after tripping and falling at the Heinz Ketchup factory. His dreams of becoming a doctor ended because he hit his head hard enough so that he was in a coma. He did wake up, but his vision was permanently damaged. The man's brother was researching using fluorescent chemicals to use in his magic shows. After the injured man – Bob Switzer – recovered, he continued experimenting with fluorescent chemicals. He and his brother invented the first fluorescent paint, which they named "Day-Glo." Bob used the paint on his wife's wedding dress, thus creating the first piece of high visibility clothing.

The U.S. Government caught on to this and used the brothers' Day-Glo to increase visibility for soldiers to reduce friendly fire. The government also used it to create fabric panels to send signals. Aircraft crewmen wore high-visibility clothing to help direct pilots. And it was also used on buoys.

Over the years, manufacturers created different types of vests for different industries. They also manufactured vests with different levels of reflective material.

Why Wear Safety Vests?

Affordable, light-weight and comfortable safety vests can save your life in many industries, including working in traffic, as a logger, at an airport, in construction, and more. Those working in any industry that is dangerous wear safety vests to make them more visible to prevent accidents. However, some accidents still happen. A safety vest can catch the eye of someone who comes upon someone on the ground because of an accident.

It has been shown that wearing the appropriate safety vest saved lives because of the increased visibility. Those who work as school crossing guards, police, EMS, firefighters, and other professions where the vest is often worn during the day, should have the highest amount of reflective material.

Types of Safety Vests

How do you know which type of safety vest is best for your industry? How do you know which is the safest? The standard for vest classes is the American National Standard for High-Visibility Safety Apparel and Accessories (ANSI / ISEA 107-2015) by the American National Standards Institute, Inc.

Class 1 and Class 2 can include garments such as vests and T-shirts. A Class 3 can never be a short-sleeved vest. High visibility apparel comes in several types and classes, including:

Type O - The Type O vest is a Class 1 vest that provides the minimum amount of reflective materials. It is for off-road use only. They are suitable for warehouse workers, miners, parking lot attendants, sidewalk maintenance workers, and delivery vehicle drivers. Those that use Type O vests in traffic control situations should only use them where traffic does not exceed 25 mph, and there is plenty of separation between the vest wearer and the traffic.

Type R - The Type R vest comes in Class 2 and Class 3. It can be used on roadways. Class 2 has more visibility than Class 1 and Class 3 even more. A Type R, Class 2 is good for road construction, municipalities and airline ramp personnel.

The Type R, Class 3 is good for flaggers, working at night, Departments of Transportation, municipalities and state work.

Type P - The Type P could be Class 2 or Class 3, is for public officials, and is good to use during the day and at night. Law enforcement and other emergency responders should wear Type P vests. Others who should wear Type P include police, fire, EMS and sheriffs. Type P is also recommended for those working in traffic that is traveling more than 50 mph, especially when the worker is distracted from watching traffic by his or her job requirements.

Types of Vest Classes

ANSI classes have specific requirements. A non-ANSI vest is one that is not rated by ANSI. In 2015, the standards changed, and the Class 1 non-ANSI vest is now listed in the ANSI standard for off-road use only.

Class 1 - A Class 1 or non-ANSI vest must have at least 155 square inches of reflective tape and must be safety orange or safety yellow. The stripes must be over the shoulder and around the middle of the vest. They do not require sleeves.

Class 2 - A Class 2 ANSI vest must have at least 775 inches of safety orange or safety yellow background material and 201 square inches of reflective striping. These might or might not have sleeves.

Radians SVE1-2ZOM Economy Class 2 Mesh Vest Orange

Class 3 - A Class 3 ANSI vest is used by those who work in the most dangerous environments, such as police officers and EMTs. They require 1,240 inches of safety orange or safety yellow background material and 310 square inches of reflective striping. A sleeveless vest is never a Class 3 vest because there is not enough background material to meet the standards.

Radians SV55-3ZGD Class 3 Heavy Mesh Engineer Vest Green

Because wearing oversized vests can be as much of a hazard as not wearing them, ANSI added Class 2R and Class 3R for smaller people. Class 2R must have 540 square inches of safety orange or yellow background instead of 775 inches. Class three can have 1,000 inches of safety orange or yellow background instead of 1,240.

Additionally, vests must have an FR rating if they are flame-resistant. According to ANSI/ISEA 107-2015 Section 10.5, if a garment is marked FR, it must meet one of the following specifications. If not, it must have a non-FR rating. FR-rated vests must comply with:

  • ASTM F1506-10a, Standard Performance Specification for Flame Resistant and Arc Rated Textile Materials for Wearing Apparel for Use by Electrical Workers Exposed to Momentary Electric Arc and Related Thermal Hazards.
  • ASTM F1891-2, Standard Specification of ARC and Flame Resistant Rainwear.
  • ASTM F2302-08, Standard Performance Specification for Labeling Protective Clothing as Heat and Flame Resistant.
  • ASTM F 2733-09, Standard Specification for Flame Resistant Rainwear for Protection Against Flame Hazards.
  • NFPA 1977, Standard on Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Firefighting, 2011.
  • NFPA 2112, Standard on Flame-Resistant Garments for Protection of Industrial Personnel Against Flash Fire, 2012.

How and Where to Buy Vests?

When purchasing safety vests, be sure they are labeled with the Class and Type. If they are fire retardant, they must be labeled as such.

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