High visibility clothing is an important piece of personal protective equipment [PPE] for many occupations. The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 requires employers to provide staff with the correct PPE to protect them from specific risks.
So which jobs require high-vis clothing for safety purposes?
Construction workers
Construction workers often work in high traffic places and it’s important that they’re seen by passers by and oncoming traffic. It’s critical that these workers are seen from a distance and in darker conditions to prevent injury or accidents. Construction workers also wear other forms of PPE, including safety goggles, hart hats, and ear plugs to protect them.
Road workers
Again, due to the nature of their role, road workers need to stay visible to avoid accidents and injuries while on site. Accidents can be avoided when workers are seen. Like construction workers, they often wear other forms of PPE to keep them protected whilst completing their job.
Security
Security personnel wear hi-vis clothing to be seen, this includes stewards at football games, event staff, or door staff at a club. A high visibility jacket allows locals and visitors to distinguish who to come to for help. Often times, security workers are outdoors for long periods of time and a high-vis jacket protects them from the elements.
Emergency services
This includes police, fire fighters, and ambulance staff. They require high visibility clothing due to the type of role they do. If they’re outdoors, it’s easier to pick them out in a crowd if you require help and easier to spot from a distance especially if they’re close to high traffic areas.
Other job roles that require high visibility clothing include –
- Warehouse workers
- Airport ground crew
- Rail workers
- Utility workers
- Rubbish collection workers
- Parking attendants
- Shopping cart retrievers
These are just a few roles that require high visibility clothing to safety complete their job. Reflective clothing enhances your visibility, and they should comply with all UK and EU legislations. These garments are available in three classes based on the materials used. Class 1 is the lowest level of high-vis clothing based on the reflective material and class 3 is the highest.
Many occupations require personal protective clothing and employers should always provide this to staff so they can complete their jobs safely. High-vis clothing is often paired with hard hats, steel toe capped shoes, gloves, and safety goggles in high risk workplaces.
It’s a good thing you mentioned that having hi-vis vests for security personnel to wear will make it easier for locals and visitors to distinguish them as the staff they can go to for help. I manage a security company, and we recently got tasked with our first concert security job. I’ll keep this in mind and get hi-vis vests for my security staff soon.