Hi-vis workwear is a type of personal protection equipment (PPE). A large portion of the UK workforce will require hi-vis PPE at some point during their career. PPE is a common requirement in many roles throughout the UK, and an employer must provide it. Hi-visibility clothing is workwear that ensures the wearer is visible in high-risk situations. Here at DCC, we provide an extensive range of hi-vis workwear, including; jackets, t-shirts, softshell jackets, trousers, waterproof garments, coveralls, accessories and more. 

The materials used to make this type of workwear are luminescent and typically yellow or orange to meet the required standards for safety. The garments also have reflective strips to help increase visibility in low light. 

Safety 

As discussed already h,i-vis clothing is a form of PPE. Its job is to 

keep you safe. Wearing hi-vis clothing has been proven to prevent many accidents, fatalities included. Making sure staff stay visible on site is a very important part of health and safety at work. When working with machinery, on construction sites or around other large moving objects, workers must be visible to each other to prevent an accident. 

Identity 

By wearing hi-vis clothing, workers will stand out from the crowd. When branding the clothing they will also be easily identified. On large work sites there will be several different working groups controlling various jobs. Different hi-vis clothing can be used to identify certain groups of workers and also show professionalism. With staff dressed appropriately for work, it will show that the company are professional and know what is required to do the job and protect workers.  

Legal requirements 

In most industries wearing hi-vis clothing as part of workwear is a legal requirement as it is part of PPE. For example, in the rail industry any worker in the vicinity of the railway must wear orange high visibility clothing to ensure they are seen. Workers in the construction industry wear yellow hi-vis clothing to ensure those operating machinery or large vehicles can identify them, therefore preventing a potential accident.  

Legal standards are also set out, for hi-vis clothing items much comply with BS EN 471. This states the materials that should be used, the amount of material and also the size of reflective strips. 

Protection 

Workers that have the need for hi-vis clothing are most likely working in all sorts of conditions. Come rain or shine, here at DCC we have hi-visibility clothing that has many other beneficial features; waterproof, breathe, lightweight, thermal, windproof. We also supply GORE-TEX hi-vis workwear too. All of which gives the wearer extra protection while at work.

Do Construction Workers Need Hi-Vis Workwear?

Of course, protecting construction workers on the job is crucial to maintaining employee safety. But did you know that it’s your legal responsibility as an employer to give appropriate equipment for each task to your workforce?

Any construction work requires personal protective equipment (PPE), and that often includes high-visibility clothing. High visibility, or hi-vis clothing, is reflective and brightly coloured clothing that workers wear to ensure they’re easy to spot on the job. So, why is this so important for the construction industry?

Why hi-vis is important in construction?

5 Reasons Hi-Vis Workwear is Important

If you’re not already aware of why high-visibility clothing is essential for the construction industry, then we are here to help. We have put together our top five reasons why hi-vis clothing is important for construction workers so you get a better understanding of why you need to invest in your team.

1. HI-VIS CLOTHING PREVENTS ROAD ACCIDENTS

High-visibility clothing is a lifesaver when worn to complete roadwork. It is most frequently worn to alert road users and other equipment operators of where workers are located. Hi-vis PPE is essential in dangerous conditions, such as near roadways, dark settings, and areas where workers might be surrounded by trees, traffic barriers, or bulky construction equipment.

Reflective workwear will return any light from headlights, so road traffic accidents are much less likely.

2. HI-VIS CLOTHING MAKES OVERNIGHT WORK POSSIBLE

If your team works in the dark, either overnight or during early mornings, then hi-vis workwear is a must. Colourful and fluorescent hi-vis jackets and vests are made with unique pigments, which are brighter than typical colours. These pigments reflect invisible ultraviolet light from the sun and any artificial light sources as a bright, visible beam. Fluorescent colours make the most of any existing light in the atmosphere, and so they can be seen in low light conditions like the evening. They also provide a strong contrast against most backgrounds during the nighttime, whether natural or artificial.

3. HI-VIS CLOTHING ISN’T DISTRACTING DURING DAYLIGHT

Some people may avoid utilising hi-vis workwear as they may be under the impression that it can be distracting in daylight. However, reflective strips, tape, or other elements made from materials can only reflect light to where it comes from. While this means that reflective materials are the most effective in darkness, they don’t provide much contrast in daylight conditions. Most hi-vis clothing includes a combination of both components, such as a fluorescent-coloured vest with reflective strips or both fluorescent and reflective materials.

4. HI-VIS CLOTHING ALLOWS FOR WORK IN WINTER

Wearing hi-vis clothing prevents workplace accidents and injuries by ensuring that anyone in the area will see your workers. This is particularly important for gas and electric utility and transportation workers, such as highway, railway, and airport workers. Construction workers, surveyors, first responders, sanitation workers, and warehouse workers also benefit from increased visibility.

5. HI-VIS CLOTHING LETS YOU WORK IN ANY SETTING

The key to maximising hi-vis safety features is to choose high-visibility clothing that will provide the most contrast between your worker’s body and their surroundings. Make sure that the hi-vis clothing you select won’t blend into your work environment in any way, and continues to set your team apart so that they may be easily spotted in any setting or environment.

What Hi-Vis Colour Should I Choose?

Now you understand the importance of hi-vis clothing in the construction industry, you may have more questions about how to utilise this workwear for your team best. Many people wonder what the best hi-vis clothing colour for their team is and if there is a difference between the colour.

The most common high-visibility clothing colours are yellow, green and orange, although there are more. We believe that high-visibility clothing works best when it has the most significant contrast to your workers’ environment. For example, if you have a lot of orange equipment at your job site, choosing fluorescent lime will be better. It will offer more contrast to the other elements that your workers will be adjacent to.

What do the different colours mean? What hi-vis should you be wearing?

Hi-Vis is hardly the height of fashion. Although…it has probably been used in an obscure fashion line at some point.

You may be on a construction site, attending a football match or visiting a festival. Hi-Vis is an integral part of society and can be seen in varying formats and styles.

So, what do the different colours mean? And, what hi-vis should you be wearing?

The purpose of hi-vis is to make you stand out from your surroundings.

Whilst the most common colour of hi-vis is fluorescent yellow, it isn’t always the best choice.

Hi-vis uses reflective bands to make you more noticeable in low-level light and headlights.

When you’re more noticeable an accident is less likely to occur. The sooner a driver sees a person the more time they have to react.

COLOURFUL HI-VIS

These are the type of hi-vis vests that you may see at a festival or a concert. They can be used to denote a person’s role such as a steward or first aider.

Coloured hi-vis doesn’t make you to stand out from your surroundings enough to conform to standard EN20471. They aren’t appropriate for hazard prevention.

Some brands choose colourful hi-vis for their workforce, as the colours align with their uniform. Yet those who wear these garments aren’t involved in hazardous roles.

When looking at Blackrock’s hi-vis sleeveless vests there are six colours available.

Both the orange and yellow vests conform to standard EN20471 Class 2. The green, navy, pink and red vests do not.

Orange hi-vis is used by rail workers.

Why?

Very often, rail work is done in green environments. Fluorescent orange is far more visible than yellow in this scenario. Orange won’t blend in.

Yellow is used more indoors as it is a brighter colour and can be seen better in low-level light.

TWO-TONE HI-VIS

A two-tone hi-vis uses two separate colours. A fluorescent colour and another colour (fluorescent or not).

If some fluorescent material is replaced with non-fluorescent material, the garment may be put into a different hi-vis category (see below).

The main purpose of two-tone hi-vis is to differentiate between staff roles or locations. For example, someone working in warehouses A and B would wear a different colour hi-vis.

That said some two-tone garments do have practical benefits. Darker panelling on the lower half of the garment can help to protect against dirt.

Within the Blackrock range, there is a good example of how hi-vis colouring can affect its class.

Four two-tone high vis waistcoats conform to at EN20471 Class 2. The others, as they contain less fluorescent material, conform to EN20471 Class 1.

In contrast, the hi-vis two-tone bomber and coat conform to EN20471 Class 3 – the highest standard. This is due to the amount of fluorescent fabric that’s visible.

The hi-vis you wear should be in line with the risks found in the risk assessment.

If you are working in a role requiring you to wear a hi-vis, your employer must provide you with the appropriate clothing.

If you’re in charge of choosing hi-vis for yourself or your employees, consider this:

Where is the hi-vis garment being worn?

What is the lighting like?

What is the risk of being hit by a moving vehicle?

How much time does the driver need to react?

Do you need to identify different job roles?

If there is a high risk you’ll be hit by a moving vehicle, class 3 hi-vis should be worn, providing the maximum amount of visibility. In this scenario, you may require extra hi-vis for full coverage on your legs.

If there is a medium risk you will be hit by a moving vehicle, at least class 2 hi-vis should be worn.

Class 1 hi-vis is usually reserved for roadside assistance personnel, volunteers, and delivery drivers where the risks are lower.

If you’re outdoors, in a wooded area, an orange garment is required. Yellow hi-vis will blend in with the surrounding environment.

Is the lighting in your workplace gloomy? If so, orange hi-vis won’t be as visible.

The frequency of replacing your hi vis clothing is not determined by a period of time, but how it is used and cared for. It doesn't have a shelf-life as such unless it falls under an old hi vis clothing standard.

You've taken the time to research and find the right type of hi vis for you, so it makes financial and safety sense you should know how to look after it.

Having a physical job makes hi vis more susceptible to wear and tear, meaning it needs replacing sooner. If they take care of it, it will not only last longer, it will protect them better.

In this article, we discuss the factors that affect how often you need to replace your Hi Vis clothing.

Application and Use

How you use, care for and store your Hi Vis clothing can alter how often you should replace it. If your job requires physical work in areas where Hi Vis is mandated constantly, you will likely replace it more often than if you drive a vehicle and only put it on when stepping outside your cab.

Having said that, if you hang your vest up behind you in your truck cab, and it sits for most of the day in direct sunlight, you might find it needs replacing much sooner than you thought.

The factors you should look for are:

Fading of the fluorescent fabric

Tears and rips anywhere on the garment

Worn reflective strip

No longer visible for 1,000 feet during the day or night

If your clothing falls under any of these, it will need replacing. 

Maintenance of Your Garments

The life cycle of your protective clothing also depends on how you maintain it. Your Hi Vis needs cleaning when dirty and storing in a dry clean place.

For many applications, you will find you can wipe down your Hi Vis in-between full washes to help get a longer life out of it.

Often, when their hi vis clothing has become dirty, people throw it away.

Low cost Hi Vis vests are the most likely to be binned rather than washed, but you would be wasting money. Most dirt will simply wash out of the polyester it is made from, and so long as you stay within the maximum number of washes, the reflective strip will clean too.

For jobs where you need to remain visible but also presentable, a two-tone garment would come into its own. Two-tone Hi Vis has dark coloured contrast fabric around the areas most likely to become dirty - knees, pockets, waistband, hem cuffs, collar etc - this helps keep the colours bright and the wearer seen. Portwest's PW3 range does this superbly.

Wash Cycle Used

There is a high probability that the tasks you do will make your Hi Vis clothing dirty. It is absolutely crucial that you keep your Hi Vis clean to remain visible to others and keep it compliant.

All EN ISO 20471:2013 compliant high visibility clothing will come with a data specification sheet advising the owner on various issues they should be aware of.