When we think of safety, we often think of rules, warning signs, and personal protective equipment. We rarely, if ever, consider the role that color plays in keeping us safe. However, as it turns out, color is a crucial element of safety vests and plays a vital role in making workers visible and easy to spot. It's not just a matter of preference - there is science behind the selection of colors for safety vests. In this blog post, we're going to explore the complete guide to safety vest colors and why certain colors are preferred over others.

Xinxing FR supply professional and honest service.

 

The Psychology of Color

 

Color is more than just a visual sensation - it also has a psychological impact on our minds and emotions. In the context of high visibility clothing, color choice can have a significant impact on how the wearer is perceived by others. For example, fluorescent yellow-green is a color that is associated with safety and caution, which is why it's commonly used in high-visibility vests. It's also a color that is easy for the human eye to distinguish from its surroundings, making it an ideal choice for outdoor work environments. On the other hand, fluorescent orange-red is associated with warning and danger, which is why it's commonly used in hunting apparel. By understanding the psychology of color, we can make more informed decisions about the color of our safety vests.

 

The Physics of Color

 

Color is not just a matter of perception - it's also a physical phenomenon. The color of an object is determined by the wavelengths of light that are absorbed and reflected by the object's surface. In the context of safety vests, this means that different colors will reflect light differently, making some colors more visible than others. For example, fluorescent yellow-green is a color that reflects a lot of light in the green and yellow spectrum, making it highly visible to the human eye. Conversely, fluorescent orange-red reflects more light in the orange and red spectrum, making it more visible in low-light conditions. By understanding the physics of color, we can select the right color for our safety vests based on the lighting conditions of our work environment.

 

ANSI/ISEA Color Standards

 

To ensure that safety vests are as effective as possible, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has established guidelines for the color and design of high visibility clothing. According to ANSI/ISEA-107, the three approved colors for high-visibility vests are fluorescent yellow-green, fluorescent orange-red, and fluorescent red. However, this doesn't mean that other colors can't be used for safety vests - they need to be carefully designed to be as visible as possible. For example, pink is an increasingly popular color for safety vests worn by women that work in non-ANSI-regulated environments, but it needs to be a bright, vibrant pink to be considered high-visibility. Similarly, blue and black safety vests can still be effective, but they need to have reflective trim or tape to enhance their visibility.

 

Choosing the Right Color for Your Work Environment

 

Now that we understand the psychology and physics of color and the ANSI/ISEA color standards, we can make informed decisions about the right color for our safety vests. When choosing a color, it's important to consider the lighting conditions of your work environment.

Fluorescent Yellow-Green

For low-light environments, fluorescent yellow-green is an excellent choice. Yellow increases the person's visibility more than other colors. Unsurprisingly, workers in most construction sites and airports choose this color.

 

Fluorescent Orange-Red

For outdoor work environments with a lot of green and yellow surroundings, fluorescent orange-red or fluorescent red may provides more contrast. Orange vests are quite popular with flaggers and other road construction workers.

Pink, Blue, Black, and Other Colors

If you're working in an industry such as healthcare where pink is a popular color for safety vests, make sure the pink is bright and easily distinguishable. And if you're considering a non-traditional color such as blue or black, add reflective tape or trim to enhance its visibility. If you're going for a non-ANSI color, make sure the reflective material stays bright in night conditions.

It's important to verify your workplace guidelines before choosing a color. ANSI-certified safety vests are an excellent way to ensure compliance with workplace standards.

By understanding the psychology and physics of color, and following the ANSI/ISEA guidelines, you can choose the right color for your safety vest - enabling you to stay safe in any work environment.

 

Caring for Your Safety Vest - Make it Last Longer

 

In addition to choosing the right color for your safety vest, it's important to take good care of your vest. Over time, fluorescent clothing can become faded or damaged due to exposure to UV rays and other environmental factors. To keep your safety vest in top condition, make sure you follow the manufacturer's instructions on how to clean and store the vest correctly. It's also a good idea to inspect your safety vest for any signs of wear and tear before you use it.

 

Conclusion

 

In conclusion, color is a crucial element of high visibility safety clothing, and there is science behind the selection of colors for high-visibility apparel. By understanding the psychology and physics of color and the ANSI/ISEA color standards, we can choose the right color for our work environment and ensure that we're as visible as possible to those around us. Whether you're working in construction, healthcare, or any other industry that requires high-visibility apparel, be sure to consider the critical role that color plays in keeping you safe.

 

 

Safety clothing

"Yellow vests" redirects here. For the movement originating in France, see Yellow vests protests

For the band, see High Vis

Fluorescent green safety vest. Retroreflective stripes are optional for low-light conditions, but do not define the meaning of hi-viz clothing.

High-visibility clothing, sometimes shortened to hi vis or hi viz, is any clothing worn that is highly luminescent in its natural matt property or a color that is easily discernible from any background. It is most commonly worn on the torso and arm area of the body. Health and safety regulations often require the use of high visibility clothing as it is a form of personal protective equipment.[1][2][3] Many colors of high visibility vests are available, with yellow and orange being the most common examples. Colors other than yellow or orange may not provide adequate luminescence for conformity to standards such as ISO .

As a form of personal protective equipment, high-visibility clothing is worn to increase a person's visibility and therefore prevent accidents caused by persons not being seen. As a result, it is often worn in occupations where hazardous situations are created by moving vehicles or low lighting conditions. These occupations include railway and road workers, airport workers and emergency services. Cyclists and motorcyclists may also use high-visibility clothing to increase their visibility when operating amongst motor traffic.[4] Hunters may be required to wear designated high-visibility clothing to prevent accidental shooting.

Effectiveness

[

edit

]

Motorcyclists

[

edit

]

A police officer in Taiwan wears a white motorcycle helmet in conjunction with a high-visibility vest. According to a study, the wearing of reflective or fluorescent clothing correlated with a 37 percent lower risk of a rider sustaining a crash-related injury; likewise, white helmets demonstrated a 24 percent reduction.

[

5

]

The Hurt Report in the United States found that very few motorcyclists involved in collisions wore high-visibility clothing, and that just over half of the collisions studied, nearly two-thirds of those involving another vehicle, were due to the motorist unintentionally violating the motorcyclist's right of way. "This dominant culpability of the driver of the other vehicle... emphasizes the special need for high contrast conspicuity for the motorcycle and rider."[5]

A New Zealand case-control study found that the population attributable risks were 33% for wearing no reflective or fluorescent clothing; one third of motorbike accidents might have been prevented by wearing high-visibility clothing. Conspicuous behaviors, such as the wearing of high-visibility clothing, the use of headlights in the daytime, and the use of a white helmet, reduced the risk of a rider facing a collision.[5]

Cyclists

[

edit

]

Traffic risks to the cyclist are similar to those faced by motorcyclists, with the main differences being that cyclist speeds are typically lower, and the cyclist wears less protective gear. In a study, most UK cyclists and almost all motorists believed that high-visibility clothing would increase cyclists' visibility. Almost all drivers agreed that cyclists need to wear reflective clothing in low lighting environments, whereas less than three-quarters of cyclists (72%) agreed, and less than half claimed that they always did so.[6]

A Cochrane Systematic Review of research evidence for the effectiveness of visibility aids (fluorescent and retroreflective clothing and equipment) was carried out by Kwan and Mapstone in .[7] The authors found 42 studies which collectively suggested that fluorescent clothing could increase the distance at which drivers could detect and then recognise cyclists in daylight conditions.[7] The same review found evidence that retro-reflective materials worn by cyclists at night had a similar effect on driver perceptions. At that time there were no studies published that had actually demonstrated a reduction in collision crashes for bicyclists wearing fluorescent or retroreflective clothing whilst on public roads.

A Australian study of drivers trying to see stationary cyclists on a closed circuit found that fluorescent vests (without retro-reflective stripes) were not a significant improvement on black clothing at night and that retro-reflective strips were more effective when attached to knees and ankles than on a more or less static jacket.[8]

For more information, please visit Yellow High Visibility Fabric Wholesale.

A British case-control study showed a non-significant increase in the odds of a crash for users of reflective conspicuity aids whilst cycling.[9] In , a further case-control study conducted in Canada reported a decrease in the odds of a collision with a motor vehicle when wearing 'light' coloured (not specifically fluorescent) clothing in daylight but an increase in the odds of a collision for cyclists using fluorescent clothing (and lights) at night. The number of conspicuity aids used was positively associated with an increase in collision crash odds but a non-significant reduction in the likelihood of hospitalisation.[10]

A randomized controlled trial was conducted in Denmark between and .[11] The study collected data from regular cyclists for a year.[11] The results suggest that conspicuity enhancing jackets can reduce by 47% the risk of collisions with other road users that cause injury and 55% for those collisions involving a motor vehicle.[11] The effect of the intervention was higher in winter compared to summer (56% vs 39%), in daylight (51% vs the overall effect 47%) and for those participants who reported 'high' use of the jackets vs 'low' use (60% vs 33%).[11] The study was based on participants self-reporting data, and there was evidence of response bias, which the authors attempt to correct for, reducing the 47% figure to 38%.[11]

Since April , New York City regulations require commercial cyclists, such as restaurant delivery persons or bike messengers, to wear high visibility clothing while riding.[12]

Rail workers in the United Kingdom

[

edit

]

Network Rail staff working in RIS--TOM compliant high-visibility clothing on track renewals just south of Leicester railway station

Experimental use of high-visibility clothing began in on the Scottish Region of British Railways.[13] Fluorescent orange jackets, known as "fire-flies", were issued to track workers on the Pollokshields to Eglinton Street electrified section in Glasgow;[14] they were later tried in other areas, such as Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness. Train drivers operating in these areas were asked their opinion as to the effectiveness of the jackets.[13] Following trials, high-visibility clothing was issued to engineering and other staff working on the electrified lines of the London Midland Region of British Railways in . It was thought to be more important due to the higher speeds of the newly electrified West Coast Main Line route from London Euston to Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. The first version was worn as a jerkin and was "visible at ... half a mile in normal weather conditions".[15]

Since then, features of high-visibility clothing such as the EN510 quick release standard and the EN471 and its successor EN ISO : high visibility standards, have improved the effectiveness and contributed to improved safety for rail workers and other staff.[16] The specifications for Rail Industry Standard RIS--TOM (fluorescent orange) high-visibility clothing suitable for use on railways in the United Kingdom are published by the Rail Safety and Standards Board.[17]

Standards

[

edit

]

High-visibility clothing standards markings in a fluorescent orange coloured vest:
EN ISO : (Europe/ISO)
RIS--TOM (UK Rail Industry Standard)
ANSI/ISEA 107- (USA)
AS/NZS .1: (Australia)

India

[

edit

]

The latest Indian standards for High Visibility Warning Clothes - Specification is IS  : .

The American National Standards Institute published standard 107 [18] for high-visibility clothing in . The standard defines three classes of successively more-visible garments, to protect workers exposed to successively higher levels of risk from motor vehicles and heavy equipment. The International Safety Equipment Association developed the standard, with revisions in , , , and .[19][20][21][22]

The 207 standard has different requirements for fluorescent background material, specifically allowing for a shorter design that allows equipment belt access. It also includes many optional features, such as a 5-point breakaway design for easy removal, panels readily identifying the wearer as an emergency responder, and radio and badge holders.[23]

Regulation (EU) /425

[

edit

]

A European Union directive which covers high-visibility clothing.[24]

North American hunting regulations

[

edit

]

Deer hunters wearing blaze orange for identification as humans, not game animals

Hunting laws in each state or province may require hunters to wear designated garments in blaze orange to prevent misidentification of humans as game animals, and resulting shooting accidents. The required total visible area and times of use vary by jurisdiction and by the type of hunting in the area. Hunting clothes are available in blaze orange camouflage, where the bright orange color is plainly visible to human eyes, but the shape of the hunter is broken up by irregular patterns to prevent identification as a threat by game animals such as deer, who cannot see the color.[25] Some jurisdictions also allow the use of a "blaze pink," a color that proponents argue is both more visible to humans and less visible to game animals.[26]

ISO

[

edit

]

The International Organization for Standardization published standard ISO for high-visibility clothing in .[27][28]

Australia

[

edit

]

Australian/New Zealand Standard - AS/NZS .1: High visibility safety garments Garments for high risk applications from Standards Australia.

Part 1: Garments for high risk applications - Sample of the standard.

Safe Work Australia - general Personal Protective Equipment guide including references to high visibility clothing

Class D workwear is suited to daytime use in Australia. [29]

Canada

[

edit

]

Canadian Standards: Z96-15 - High-visibility safety apparel

Canadian Center for Occupational Health and safety (CCOHS): Guide High-Visibility Safety Apparel: "Requirements for high-visibility safety clothing for Canadian workers are found in the CSA Standard Z96-15 High-Visibility Safety Apparel".

Gallery

[

edit

]

See also

[

edit

]

References

[

edit

]

Contact us to discuss your requirements of knit interlock fabric. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.