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American National Standard for High-Visibility Safety Clothing (ANSI)
Visibility problems are the cause for many of the deaths and injuries that happen when workers get hit by vehicles or mobile equipment. High-visibility safety clothing serves as a first line of defense to protect workers against being struck by a vehicle or piece of equipment operated by someone who otherwise would not be able to see them during the day or at night.
To ensure maximum quality control in its members' products, ISEA developed the American National Standard for High-Visibility Safety Apparel. The standard - ANSI/ISEA 107-1999 -- establishes a set of performance criteria for high-visibility apparel. The standard defines three garment categories based on worker hazards and tasks, complexity of the work environment or background, and vehicular traffic and speed.
Much of our safety clothing conforms to an American National Standard from the International Safety Equipment Association (ANSI/ISEA). Safety clothing that meet this standard can be worn 24-hours a day to provide users with a high level of conspicuity through the use of combined fluorescent and retro reflective materials. The standards specify three conspicuity classes of garments based on the wearer's activities.
ANSI Class 3 reflective vests and clothing provide the highest level of conspicuity to workers with high task loads in a wide range of weather conditions where traffic exceeds 50 mph. The standard recommends these garments for all roadway construction personnel and vehicle operators, utility workers, survey crews, emergency responders, railway workers and accident site investigators.
Examples of workers who use Class 3 apparel include:
- Roadway construction personnel and flaggers;
- Utility workers;
- Survey crews; and
- Emergency response personnel.
ANSI Class 2 reflective vests and clothing are intended for users who need greater visibility in inclement weather conditions and whose activities occur near roadways where traffic speeds exceed 25 mph. Workers who would wear this class of garment include railway workers, school crossing guards, parking and toll gate personnel, airport ground crews and law enforcement personnel directing traffic.
Examples of workers who use Class 2 safety clothing include:
- Forestry operations;
- Ship cargo loading operations;
- Roadway construction, utility and railway workers;
- Survey crews;
- School crossing guards;
- Delivery vehicle drivers;
- High-volume parking and/or toll gate personnel;
- Airport baggage handlers/ground crew;
- Emergency response and law enforcement personnel;
- Trash collection and recycling operations;
- Accident site investigators;
- Railroad inspection and maintenance crews.
ANSI Class 1 reflective vests and clothing are for users who have ample separation from vehicular traffic that does not exceed 25 mph and where the background is not complex. Parking service attendants, workers in warehouses with equipment traffic, shopping cart retrievers, sidewalk maintenance workers, and delivery vehicle drivers would wear this class of safety clothing.
Examples of workers who use Class 1 saftey clothing:
- Parking lot attendants;
- People retrieving shopping carts from parking lots;
- Workers exposed to warehouse equipment traffic; and
- Roadside "right of way" or sidewalk maintenance workers.
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