Understanding how PPE works and how reflective clothing keeps you safe at work is important. When creating a safe working environment, one must understand what type of high-visibility clothing your staff need and how one should wear it.
People have been using reflective clothing in industries like construction on job sites for many years. Reflective garments are known as high-visibility, or hi-viz clothing, which makes the wearer more visible. It also provides the wearer with a heightened sense of awareness.
Safety culture should come first in any organisation. Staff needs to understand the risks of their job and the role reflective clothing will play on the job to keep them safe.
Reflective clothing is just one component in a range of aspects needed to enhance the safety of workers in industries with low-visibility working conditions.
Understanding the makeup and function of retro-reflective tape will help ensure that your PPE meets safety standards and that your employees have the proper protection against workplace hazards.
What Is The Role Of Reflective Clothing In The Workplace?
The primary purpose of reflective clothing, also known as high-visibility clothing, is to signal the user’s presence in places and situations that may cause potential threats to their health and safety.
This type of signalling (reflective signalling) must be effective at any time of the day and night. Staff should wear high-visibility clothing where there is a potential risk that a worker may collide with or be run over by moving machines or objects.
Although reflective wear does not guarantee complete safety in all situations of risk, it optimises an appropriate amount of visibility, significantly reducing the risk of an accident.
Personal protective equipment includes reflective clothing, enhancing the visibility of moving people in situations where they could be hurt by vehicles and machinery.
How Does High-Visibility Reflective Clothing Work?
Low visibility and low-light working conditions are hazardous. High-visibility garments with retro-reflective tape have been designed to make the wearer stand out and to help to increase their safety on the job and in the workplace.
Let’s look at the difference between fluorescent and retro-reflective material:
- Fluorescent material – takes a portion of invisible ultraviolet light from sunlight and, through unique pigments, sends it back to the viewer as more visible light. This material only functions when there is a source of natural sunlight. It will appear brighter than the same coloured non-fluorescent material, especially under low natural light, like fog, dusk or dawn. You get enhanced daytime visibility that is not present with other colours and a good contrast against most backgrounds.
- Retro-reflective material – returns light in the direction of the light’s source. The light source will let a driver or equipment operator see the light reflected from the retro-reflective material on the wearer’s garment. Retro-reflective materials are most effective under low-light-level conditions. While retro-reflective materials can still reflect in the daylight, there would be little difference between the light reflected and the surrounding environment. This serves to be ineffective for enhanced visibility during sunnier conditions.
Hi-vis clothing comes in various colours, including red, pink, blue and green. However, the most effective fluorescent colours, such as yellow and orange, are often used for enhanced safety.
Different Types Of Reflective Clothing
At About Workwear, we cater for a wide variety of reflective clothing to cover various industries:
- Police Officers
- Road Workers
- Sanitation Workers
- Construction & Mining Workers
- Landscapers
- Road Maintenance Personnel
- Drivers
- Workers working in low-light conditions
- Builders
- Painting Contractors
We have off-the-shelf or bespoke solutions for our customers, including:
- vests
- jackets
- pants
- coveralls
- headwear
- safety shoes with reflective strips
Reflective tape is also customisable, where the reflective tape is specially added to overalls to represent the brand according to their brand standards.
Your PPE must be suited to your staff’s unique risks and working conditions. Ensure you select the correct safety wear for the intended hazard and know how to care for your PPE so it remains fit for purpose for as long as possible.
Reflective Clothing Saves Lives
High-visibility clothing aims to reduce the risk of incidents and improve safety overall. Workers in specific industries who are in close contact with moving machinery are often at risk of being involved in an accident.
Any company with employees working around any motor vehicle needs to develop a comprehensive high-visibility clothing policy. It should clearly define what type of high-visibility clothing needs to be used in a given situation and make it mandatory for employees to adhere to these policies.
Hi-vis clothing improves overall worker safety significantly, and in any workplace, the safety of employees should be the top priority. It pays to invest in the appropriate hi-viz and reflective wear for your staff’s protection and peace of mind.
About Workwear brings you head-to-foot protective wear for your workforce. Contact us today – we’ll make sure your staff will be seen!
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