High Visibility Clothing & Safety Vests

High visibility clothing features reflective materialsPerhaps the most popular form of high visibility
and/or bright colors, such as fluorescent yellows,clothing is the safety vest. Safety vests come in
greens and oranges. These colors stand out fromseveral classes depending on the user's
most environments, making the wearer highlypreference and legal requirements. The following
visible in daylight conditions. Retro-reflective stripslist is a quick summary of different classes of
may be added to complement the coloring andsafety vests available:
further increase visibility. Similar to the surface of- Class 1 Vest. This vest type has the lowest
a cat's eye, retro-reactive materials reflect lightvisibility and is best for casual use, such as jogging
back to its source with minimal scattering of light,during daylight, rather than government-regulated
making the reflection as bright as possible.or high-risk activities.
Professionals and laymen alike use high visibility- Class 2 vest. The American National Standards
clothing. Some examples include pedestrians,Institute defines the Class 2 Vest as an
workers, cyclists, motorcyclists, hunters,intermediate visibility garment. These safety vests
tow-truck drivers, construction workers,meet the ANSI regulatory standards for federally
emergency responders, parking attendants,funded roadway work, working with heavy
surveyors, film/TV/news crews, and equestrians.machinery, or within proximity to moderately fast
If you need to be seen in poor lighting, extremetraffic.
weather, or when working around moving- Class 3 Vest. Class 3 high visibility vests have
machinery, high visibility clothing is critical. In certainthe highest degree of visibility and are required by
situations, it is also legally required by thelaw for night-time activities, extreme weather, or
American National Standards Institute (ANSI).highly crowded traffic areas.