some definitions:
Background Material: Colored fluorescent material intended to be highly conspicuous in day, dawn and dusk light conditions, but not retroreflective.
Retroreflective Material: Material that reflects and returns a relatively high proportion of light in a direction close to the direction from which it came.
Combined-performance Material: Retroreflective material that is also a fluorescent material.
Noncompliant Material: Material used in a HVSA that does not meet requirements for background material, combined-performance material or retroreflective material.
High-Visibility Safety Apparel (HVSA): Personal protective safety clothing intended to provide conspicuity during both daytime and nighttime, and other low-light conditions.
Photometric Performance: The effectiveness of retroreflective material in returning light to its source and measured in terms of coefficient of retroreflection (RA).
Flame Resistance: The property of a material whereby flaming combustion is prevented, terminated, or inhibited when a flaming or non-flaming source of ignition is applied and then removed from the material.
Roadway:An area designed, or ordinarily used for the purposes of vehicular travel.
Single-use Disposable Coverall: A HVSA that will be disposed of after one use and is to be worn over clothing to cover arms, legs and torso.
Component Colors
There are three different colors for background and combined-performance material from which to choose: fluorescent yellow-green, fluorescent orange-red and fluorescent red. Users should consider the work and natural environment to determine the most conspicuous color for daytime use. Is the environment urban or rural, heavy foliage or desert? Are work zone devices and equipment yellow or orange? Choose the fluorescent color that achieves the highest degree of worker contrast.
Garment Types and Classes
Three type designations for HVSA help the user to choose options according to the work environment. These types are further broken down into classes 1, 2 or 3. Type “O” garments are for occupational workers who are not required by the MUTCD 2009 edition to wear HVSA but may still work in an environment with moving equipment/vehicles and accompanying struck-by hazards, and where visibility is a concern. Class 1 is the only option for Type “O” garments. Type “R” garments are for occupational workers who are exposed to roadway traffic and who work in an environment with moving equipment/ vehicles. This type designation and the classes within it now describe and the PPE that is federally mandated per the MUTCD 2009.* Type “P” garments give additional options for fire, police, and EMS personnel who have other potential hazards that require them to access equipment on their person. Type P garments differ from type R garments mainly in the area requirements for background material. Three classes of HVSA help the user and employer choose the proper garments based on expected work environment risks. The classes state the minimum amount of background and retroreflective material and specify placement of retroreflective material, as well as any technical requirements for garment design.
* Type R, Class 2 garments can have the smallest size in the size range compliant to the standard with a minimum of 540 in2 in background material to accommodate smaller workers. All larger sizes must have a minimum of 775 in2. No reduction in retroreflectivity is allowed and 201 in2 is still the required minimum.
**Type R, Class 3 garments can have the smallest size in the size range compliant to the standard with a minimum of 1000 in2 in background material to accommodate smaller workers. All larger sizes must have a minimum of 1240 in2. No reduction in retroreflectivity is allowed and 310 in2 is still the required minimum
Work conditions that may require class 1 vests include:
Parking lot booth attendants
Mineworkers
Workers of Oil, gas, and extraction and refinery
Warehouse workers
Work conditions that may need Class 2 vests include:
Work conditions that may require Class 3 vests include:
Tow truck operators
Incident site investigators
Road construction workers (50mph+)
Roadside assistance
Utility workers
Identifiers: Worksites may require workers to wear vests with printed identifiers, lettering, or logos. Any graphics of non-contrasting material cannot take up more than 72 sq in. (465 sq cm) of space on the background material of the vest. Graphics of contrasting material cannot take up more than 22 sq in. (142 sq cm) of space on the background material of the vest.
Retroflective Material Placement
All Types and Classes of garments should achieve the following:
•Use of retroreflective band widths and amounts appropriate for the garment class
• Provide 360° visibility with horizontal gaps of 2 inches or less.
• Horizontal bands placed at least 2 inches above the bottom of the garment.
• Garments without retroreflective material encircling the sleeves are required to have 23.25 in2 of retroreflective material in the shoulder area, to provide 180º visibility of the wearer. Shoulder area is defined as measuring 5.9 inches down from the shoulder high point, on the front and back of the garment. The requirement of 23.25 in2 is the total amount of retroreflective material required in the shoulder area including the front and back of the garment, e.g., shoulder area retrore-flective material amount front + rear = 23.25 in2
