Be Seen. Stay Safe.

What the class numbers mean

High-visibility clothing is graded under EN ISO 20471 by how much fluorescent background material and how much retroreflective tape a garment carries.

• Class 3 requires at least 0.8m² of fluorescent background and 0.2m² of retroreflective material. In practice that means sleeves, because a sleeveless garment has nowhere to put it.
• Class 2 requires at least 0.5m² of background and 0.13m² of retroreflective material, which is where most waistcoats and vests sit.
• Class 1 is the lowest level, for the lowest-risk situations.

The rating belongs to the certified garment, or to a combination tested and certified together as a set. Layering two separate garments does not add their classes together.

What the street works code expects

The Safety at Street Works and Road Works code of practice requires high-visibility clothing whenever you work outside the working space, which covers setting out, maintaining and removing signing, lighting and guarding.

Two country differences matter when ordering:

• England and Northern Ireland: the standard is determined by risk assessment, and the code states that in most circumstances work outside the working space will indicate a jacket carrying the greatest minimum amount of visible material in the standard.
• Scotland and Wales: jackets must have full-length sleeves, reducible to three-quarter length only where a risk assessment shows full sleeves would themselves increase the risk.

The code also requires garments to be correctly fastened and kept clean and serviceable.

Upper body, lower body, or both

Most sites specify an upper garment and stop there. Where a risk assessment calls for all-round conspicuity, hi-vis trousers or a bib and brace complete the outline, which matters most where people work at low level, kneel, or are seen between parked vehicles.

The range covers jackets, gilets, shirts, t-shirts, polo shirts, coveralls, bib and brace and rain trousers, so a crew can be kitted consistently across seasons rather than mixing a winter jacket with a summer vest of a different class.

Yellow or orange

Both are permitted fluorescent colours. The question is contrast against what the wearer will be seen against: orange stands out better against green verges, hedgerows and foliage, yellow against grey carriageway and urban surroundings. Some operators use red to mark a role rather than to add visibility.

Two-tone garments place a darker panel low down where clothing gets dirtiest. That is a practical decision as much as a cosmetic one, because it keeps the fluorescent area clean enough to do its job.

Washing, and when to retire a garment

Fluorescent fabric fades with ultraviolet light and with laundering, and retroreflective tape degrades with heat and abrasion. A garment can look perfectly serviceable in daylight and perform poorly in headlights, which is exactly the wrong way round.

Follow the wash instructions on the label rather than a site laundry default, and note that most garments carry a maximum number of wash cycles. Inspect tape in the dark with a torch, and replace rather than clean any garment whose tape has gone dull, cracked or lifted at the edges.

For weatherproofing standards and choosing between shell, quilted and multi-way jackets, see outdoor jackets.