Hi Vis Work Trousers, Vests, Jackets… What Do I Need?

As with all hi vis clothing, there are so many options to choose from – so what exactly do you need? Trousers? And vests? Or jackets? Maybe waistcoats? They are all important, but there are different classes of visibility in hi vis workwear clothing. Some jobs, like retrieving trolleys in a supermarket car park, only require Class 1 gear – the lowest class. Other jobs require Class 2 gear, which needs to make workers moderately visible due to a close proximity to traffic, and will be seen on lollipop men or lollipop ladies. Class 3 is the highest. These garments must provide full body coverage, but should also be well-suited to visibility under poor light. You’ll see them worn by police officers, firefighters and paramedics. Therefore, it’s important to assess why you want hi vis work trousers or jackets and what they will be used for. What you need could change depending on the type of work; the conditions (such as weather, visibility and traffic); whether you or your workers will be exposed to high heat; and if certain workers even need to be identifiable over other workers in a certain area. The human eye will respond the best to objects that are not only consistently moving, but are also large and bright. Therefore, you might find that you’ll want to have a good stockpile of hi vis work trousers, vests, jackets and other garments to make sure that you are taking every precaution required to keep your workers, and even yourself, safe from hazards.