High Visibility Clothing

High-visibility clothing for maximum occupational safety

Materials used in high visibility clothing

The effectiveness of high-visibility clothing depends on the materials from which it is made. These fabrics have been designed to maximise visibility in different lighting conditions, guaranteeing the protection of the worker in risky environments.

There are three main types of materials used in the manufacture of these garments:

Types of Materials in Reflective Workwear

Material	Use	Benefit	Example of colors
Fluorescent material	Ideal for daytime environments. It absorbs ultraviolet light and converts it into visible light, increasing the worker's perception.	Improves visibility in daylight conditions, even on cloudy or rainy days.	Yellow, orange and fluorescent red.
Retroreflective material	Designed for night or low light conditions. It reflects light back to its source, like a vehicle's headlights.	It allows the wearer to be visible from long distances in the dark.	Reflective bands on vests, jackets and pants.
Combined material	Fusion of fluorescent and retroreflective materials to ensure 24-hour visibility.	It provides security at all times, adapting to any type of work environment.	Used in Class 3 garments for maximum protection.

Benefits of High Visibility Clothing

The use of protective clothing with high-visibility elements is essential in work environments where safety depends on the rapid identification of the worker. These garments not only comply with safety regulations, but also offer key advantages in terms of protection, comfort and resistance.

Main advantages of reflective clothing

Benefit	Description
Guaranteed occupational safety	It facilitates the detection of the worker in high-risk environments, reducing the possibility of accidents.
Regulatory Compliance	Certified under the EN ISO 20471 standard, ensuring that they comply with labor visibility standards.
Strength and durability	Made with materials resistant to industrial washing, exposure to the sun and adverse weather conditions.
Personalization and corporate visibility	It allows you to add logos and corporate colors, improving the identification of workers.
Adaptability to different environments	Available in lightweight versions for warm climates and waterproof parkas for extreme conditions.

Regulations and classification of high-visibility clothing

To ensure effective protection in the workplace, high-visibility clothing must comply with international regulations that regulate the design, materials, and levels of visibility required in different industries.

The main standard is EN ISO 20471, which establishes the minimum requirements for a garment to be considered high-visibility PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). However, in certain sectors, garments may need additional certifications, such as EN 343 for waterproofing or EN 14058 for cold resistance.

Regulations	Description	Sectors of application
EN ISO 20471	It regulates the design requirements, materials and minimum visible areas to ensure the effectiveness of protective clothing in risky work environments.	Construction, road maintenance, industry, airports, ports, railway works.
EN 343	It certifies the waterproofness and breathability of the garments, ensuring protection against rain and adverse weather conditions.	Outdoor work, urban maintenance, airports, winter works.
EN 14058	It regulates protection against moderate cold, ensuring that the garment maintains body temperature in cold environments.	Cold room work, logistics, cold weather construction.

Factors related to the level of risk

High visibility

Risk	Vehicle Speed	Type of road user	Characteristics
Medium risk	≤ 60 km/h	Active	Day and night visibilityVisibility from all sidesMotion recognition (not necessarily around the torso)Does not require EN ISO 20471More freedom of design and color
Medium risk	≤ 15 km/h	Active	Night visibilityVisibility from all sidesMotion recognition (not necessarily surrounding the torso)Does not require EN ISO 20471No gadgets

Enhanced visibility

Risk	Vehicle Speed	Type of road user	Characteristics
Medium risk	≤ 60 km/h	Active	Day and night visibilityVisibility from all sidesMotion recognition (not necessarily around the torso)Does not require EN ISO 20471More freedom of design and color
Medium risk	≤ 15 km/h	Active	Night visibilityVisibility from all sidesMotion recognition (not necessarily surrounding the torso)Does not require EN ISO 20471No gadgets

Classification of high-visibility PPE

The current classification of high-visibility signalling PPE according to the EN ISO 20471:2013/A1:2016 standard would be as follows:

Class 1: Low level of protection

Matching polo shirts and pants.
Fluorescent material 0.14 m² / retroreflective material 0.10 m² / Combined material yield 0.2 m²

Class 2: Intermediate level of protection

Jumpsuits, vests, sweatshirts, polo shirts and pants.
Fluorescent material 0.5 m² / retroreflective material 0.13 m²

Class 3: Highest level of protection

Work divers, coats, jackets with sleeves, work overalls, sets of
two pieces...
Fluorescent material 0.8^m2 / retroreflective material 0.2^m2

As for Class 3 PPE, it must have sleeves or legs. On the other hand, two Class 2 workwear items can be certified together and create a Class 3 set by using the two pieces at the same time.

Test method	Description	Minimum compliance values
EN ISO 105-B02	Color after the xenon test	Yellow > 70Orange > 40Red > 25
EN ISO 6330	Color after domestic washing	Yellow > 70Orange > 40Red > 25
EN ISO 105-C06	Strength after washing	Download ≥ 4Color Degradation 2-4.5
EN ISO 105-X12	Color after dry cleaning	Download ≥ 4
EN ISO 105-E04	Sweat fastness	Download ≥ 4Color Degradation 2-4
EN ISO 13688	Dimensional stability, marking and labelling of the garment according to tested certificates	3% openwork fabric5% knit fabric
EN ISO 13934-1	Tensile strength	> 100 N
EN ISO 11092	Comfort. Measurement of thermal resistance and resistance to water vapour under stationary conditions (test of hot plate protected from perspiration)	RET ≤ 5 m² Pa/W