Safety Vests - Understanding the Different Classes & Colors

Hi visibility safety vests come in a variety ofor lime green.
bright colors that are intended to stand out fromClass 3 ANSI vests are for high speed, high
natural environmental hues. The color of a vesttraffic areas. These are also required to be
depends upon the type of activity you willorange, yellow or green for enhanced daytime
perform. The American National Standardsvisibility. These vests also feature white or silver
Institute (ANSI) and Occupational Safety & Healthreflective material for better visibility at night. LED
Administration (OSHA) require that certainor lighted vests are also available for increased
activities use certain types of vests, depending onnighttime visibility.
the potential hazards associated with thatYellow, orange, and lime green are truly the
particular activity.standard for traffic-related safety vests, but you
Class 1 vests are for environments with lowwill also find blue vests on accident or emergency
traffic and would appropriate for parkingincident scenes. Blue vests are used to clearly
attendants. These vests are typically orange,differentiate medical personnel from other
yellow or lime green (sometimes referred to asemergency workers, such as fire and police
yellow-green), but can legally be any color yourespondents. These vests are typically reflective
choose as they are not federally regulated.and are labeled with the type of medical
A Class 2 vest is worn by workers in high trafficresponder, such as "EMT" or "triage director." The
areas with speeds below 25 miles per hour. Theseblue vests help to establish structure in an
vests are frequently worn by city traffic policeotherwise chaotic scene and can save lives by
and crossing guards and must be orange, yellowclearly defining the roles of the attendants.