How to Choose High-Visibility Workwear for Construction, Road & Industrial Workers

Oct 1

3 min read

When selecting the correct High-Visibility Workwear, one has to consider the location of the workers, visibility requirements, weather and workplace hazards. When dealing with Construction Safety, roadwork, logistics, utilities and other industrial workplaces, high-visibility work clothes should be considered as an essential component of PPE and not a mere work outfit.

Correct workwear will make the worker more visible, provide workplace Safety and help organizations achieve Safety Compliance requirements.

What Is High-Visibility Workwear?

High-Visibility Workwear refers to clothes worn by people to be highly visible against the background of their surrounding environment when visibility is a problem due to movement of vehicles and machinery, poor illumination or congested work area.

Some typical high-visibility work clothes are jackets, vests, coveralls, shirts and rainwear.

1. Begin With a Workplace Risk Assessment

Before picking out any piece of workwear, do an appropriate Risk Assessment.

Consider:

Will there be any mobile vehicles or heavy machines at work sites?
Is it day, night or twilight time for employees?
Is there dust or darkness at workplace?
Will there be rainfall, heat or changing weather conditions?
Any other extra requirements?

This strategy will ensure that the PPE is in tune with the real danger and not just aesthetics of workwear.

2. Match Workwear to the Job

Different workers may have different safety requirements.

Construction Workers

With respect to construction workplaces, Construction Safety should take into account visibility of cranes, excavators, trucks, and other equipment. Depending on the job performed, high-visibility clothing such as jackets, vests, and coveralls may be suitable.

Road & Traffic Workers

Road workers usually work near vehicles in motion, thus visibility becomes an issue here. Clothing should be selected according to the required visibility requirement.

Industrial Workers

At factory, warehouse and utility facilities, Industrial Safety may include such factors as vehicle movement, lighting, machinery and the work environment.

3. Look at Reflective Materials and Garment Design

Do not assume that color is an indicator of visibility.

The location and proportion of the reflector, the contrast between the fluorescent fabric and the reflector, and the visibility of the design while the worker moves are important factors.

In addition, the design should not obstruct vision when the worker is moving.

4. Considerations of Heat, Weather and Comfort

Visibility is only one aspect of Worker Safety.

Outdoor crews may be required to perform in heat for long hours, hence Heat Safety and Heat Stress considerations must come into play when choosing workwear. While lightweight workwear, breathable materials and appropriate clothing designs may help ensure that workers remain comfortable, they should not be substitutes for task-specific protective gear.

For rainy or cooler climates, the organization may require different work wear such as hi-vis rainwear and jackets.

5. Confirm Compliance With Standards

Prior to purchasing, you will need to determine what standards and specifications are applicable to your workplace and location. Suppliers should be asked to provide relevant documentation of the product and ensure that it complies with the standards set by your organization.

This is where a good HSE/EHS/Safety Management process comes into play. It’s better for procurement managers to consider the garment, documentation, fit, strength, and use, not just a “hi-vis” tag.

Create a Better Safety Culture

Workplace safety means more than just providing PPE. A good safety culture is the integration of right equipment, training, supervision, maintenance and review.

A better high-visibility clothing will, thus, not only be the brightest clothing. It will be the one that fits the needs of the risk assessment, work environment, level of protection and workers.

In summary: get visibility, protection, comfort and compliance all at once – not separately.