Hi-Vis Clothing Rules & Regulations: When is High Visibility Clothing Required?

07 Sep 2023

Hi-vis clothing

Hi-vis clothing is a regular sight across the country: on railways, construction sites, roadworks, and so on. But what exactly is high-visibility clothing, and when should you wear it?

Hi-vis clothing

High visibility clothing is a form of personal protective equipment (PPE) that’s highly visible: brightly coloured, with strips of reflective material. Light reflects brightly off the garments and reflective strips, which helps workers stay safe by making them as visible as possible in any kind of conditions.

 

When is high-visibility clothing required?

Any work done near traffic, with heavy machinery, or with moving equipment that leaves workers vulnerable to injury requires hi-vis clothing.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) take their cues from the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 and state that the clothing worn should account for the weather and lighting conditions of the work site. The darker the conditions, the more hi-vis clothing is required.

Employers must provide any hi-vis clothing required for the job free of charge to any employees exposed to safety risks. This should be clean, and suitable for the conditions of use. Workers using hi-vis clothing must comply with the employer’s instructions.

Hi-vis clothing regulations

The current hi vis clothing rules were laid down by the International Standards Organisation in EN ISO 20471:2013. In their own words: “high visibility clothing is intended to provide conspicuity of the wearer in any light condition,” meaning come rain or shine, light or dark, the wearer has to be as visible as possible.

The three main components of hi vis clothing are fluorescent fabric; reflective strips that reflect light back at its source; and contrast materials. Only 3 colours are approved in the regulations: yellow, orange, or red. Pink hi-vis vests might be a common sight, but they are not compliant with EN ISO 20471.

The fluorescent and reflective sections help the wearer stand out in all weathers and light conditions. Meanwhile, the darker contrast materials make up those sections where dirt is most likely to accumulate: knees, ankles, sleeve ends, etc. This helps keep any dirt from reducing the visibility of the rest of the fluorescent fabric.

Hi vis clothing is split into three classes. Class 1 is the lowest, and is typically used in low traffic areas or in areas with good visibility. Class 2 provides an intermediate level of visibility, and is used for work done near heavy traffic or in low visibility areas. Class 3 is the highest level of visibility, and is for work done in high-risk or very low visibility areas.

To comply with these classes, a minimum surface area of clothing applies to each one. These minimums can be met in various ways. For example, hi-vis trousers worn on their own would come under Class 1. Wearing a hi-vis vest on its own would fall under Class 2 because a vest is generally more noticeable than trousers. A combination of hi vis clothing, such as jacket and trousers, would be compliant with Class 3.

As visibility classification can be altered by adding or removing items, employers should take into worksite temperature into account when assessing the need for hi vis clothing needs.

If you have any queries about hi-vis clothing rules and regulations, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Our customer care team is always happy to help.

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