High visibility work clothing regulations

This article provides an overview of the European PPE Directive and the standard requirements for high visibility clothing. Directive 89/686/EEC of the European Union (EU) covers different types of PPE and places them in one of three categories:

• Articles which are of simple design which protect against minor (gradual) injury
• Products of intermediate design, protecting in circumstances where the damage may be serious
• Complex design elements, protecting against death or irreversible injury.

High visibility workwear (HPV) belongs to the medium or intermediate category.

It is a prerequisite for all categories of PPE that the design of an article is recorded in a technical file. For intermediate and complex category products, the technical file should be examined and approved by a European notified body.

The examination of a technical dossier and of the products covered by a notified body assumes that the product under assessment is a pre-production model or prototype. If the tested sample is approved, the notified body shall issue an EC-type examination certificate. The EC-type examination certificate then allows an article to be CE marked.

Whatever category of PPE is supplied, it must meet the basic health and safety requirements (BHSR) of the PPE Directive.

For all PPE articles, there are two established means of determining whether an article complies with the provisions of EU Directive 89/686/EEC.

One of them is to evaluate the product against BHSR using means devised by the notified body. The other is to use harmonised standards known as EN». The standards that have been produced for visibility clothing are:

• EN ISO 20471:2013 – High visibility clothing
• EN 1150: 1999 – «Visibility clothing for non-professional use».

Each harmonised standard contains an annex ZA describing how the standard covers health and safety requirements. This helps a manufacturer to produce an article that meets the essential requirements of EU Directive 89/686/EEC.

Design requirements for high visibility workwear for professional use are set out in EN ISO 20471:2013. The standard requires garments to meet the requirements of one of three classes, which are defined according to the visible areas of fluorescent background fabric and bands of retro-reflective tapes that are present on a garment.

It is important to note that there are defined areas and proportions in which the fluorescent materials used in the garment should be used. This is to ensure that the design of a garment maintains the improved visibility of a wearer in daytime conditions as they move or undertake different actions.

This is also why there is a primary requirement to ensure that the body of a garment and, where present, the sleeves and legs of trousers, are surrounded by fluorescent material.

Similarly, to help maintain the visibility of a wearer of clothing when illuminated by the headlamps of the vehicle in the dark, the standard requires that reflective tapes applied to clothing be at least 50 mm wide and placed in accordance with the requirements of the standard.

The standard sets out design requirements, one of which must be met if compliance with the standard is to be claimed. The standard covers requirements for a range of types of workwear or clothing, including suits, pants, jackets, vests, shirts and tabards.

It is imperative that manufacturers and suppliers of high visibility clothing create designs that incorporate the requirements of the standard and use materials that are specified for use within the standard.

IN ACCORDANCE WITH ISO 20471:2013

Of course, product suppliers must also consider the market they intend to supply. Since EN ISO 20471:2013 allows for different material colours and different classifications of garments, it is not uncommon for some organisations, such as railway and maritime authorities, to specify particular classifications of garments for their own use.

Another important factor in designing clothing or workwear to comply with EN ISO 20471:2013 is that size range has to be considered. The design assessment of a garment is based on the smallest size garment in a range. It can therefore be misleading to compare the classification of two similarly styled garments, without knowing the size ranges in which they have been made available.

STANDARD IN 1150: 1999

The design requirements for high visibility clothing for non-professional use differ in several ways and are set out in EN 1150:1999. Unlike professional wear, the main design criterion is based on the area of visible or exposed material in each size of garment to be supplied.

The standard also allows eight different fluorescent colours to be used in combination, allowing the approval of a wide range of designs. Most approved garments are one-color garments.

The design of EN 1150 garments also allows for more imaginative use of retro-reflective materials. The material can be provided in tape form, but also in other forms – such as a logo provided the material is evenly distributed around the body.

EN 20471 refers to ISO 13688: 1998 and EN 1150 refers to harmonised standard EN 340: 2003, each of which specifies general requirements for protective clothing.

It is within this standard that broader considerations for the safety of clothing are specified. These requirements, which set out the tests to be carried out to meet safety, ergonomics and comfort requirements, also define design criteria for a range of types of PPE which of course include high visibility clothing.