If you work in an industry that includes potentially hazardous working environments, you&#;ve probably heard of OSHA and ANSI. Both organizations are regulatory bodies that set specific guidelines for businesses, employers, and employees to follow to ensure safety in the workplace. What you might not know is that OSHA and ANSI, while similar, don&#;t possess the same resources and enforcement powers.

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The recommendations and laws set by each of these entities are far-reaching and include regulations related to reflective clothing. Workers who are required to wear this form of personal protective equipment must always adhere to these rules. But what are OSHA and ANSI standards for reflective clothing? Read on to learn more about both organizations and their specific regulations.

OSHA vs. ANSI

Before we dive into the specific standards set forth by OSHA and ANSI, it&#;s important to understand these two entities. Both OSHA and ANSI work with industry leaders and other organizations to develop safety codes that protect millions of individuals who regularly work in hazardous environments. These standards are meant to be passed down from leadership to laborers and enforced at all times across all levels of any given company. However, there is one key difference between OSHA and ANSI that&#;s important to understand&#;ANSI recommends standards while OSHA enforces standards.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was established in by the US Congress. This governmental agency is a subsidiary of the Department of Labor, and its mission is &#;to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for workers by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance.&#;

The most important words within that statement are &#;setting and enforcing standards,&#; as OSHA has the resources and power to create regulatory laws. Businesses and individuals can face harsh punishments from the government if they fail to meet OSHA&#;s expectations. These laws cover everything from fall protection (the most commonly violated standard) to cave-in prevention, sanitation, and personal protective equipment standards and guidelines.

American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

As you might have guessed, the American National Standards Institute lacks the enforcement power of OSHA. Instead, ANSI is a non-profit entity that recommends standards. ANSI does not develop these guidelines; rather, they are created through industry consensus and are completely voluntary. ANSI credits various other independent organizations, like the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), for many of ANSI&#;s standards. The non-profit simply promotes these guidelines to better protect individuals in dangerous lines of work.

While OSHA possesses governmental powers and ANSI merely recommends their standards, this isn&#;t to say the two entities don&#;t benefit from or collaborate with one another. In fact, some ANSI standards can be&#;and have been&#;adopted into OSHA&#;s regulations, thus becoming law. For instance, OSHA can simply reference another organization&#;s practices, such as those from ANSI, in their own regulations.

Additionally, OSHA can utilize the General Duty Clause in relation to a specific ANSI standard to punish employers who, through intent or malpractice, place their employees in exceptionally dangerous working conditions and environments. As you&#;ll see, many of OSHA&#;s and ANSI&#;s standards related to reflective clothing are similar since the two organizations focus heavily on industry research and consensus.

OSHA Standards for Reflective Clothing

OSHA states that any individual who works on a street or next to a roadway (including highway rights-of-way), near or on a train track, or around heavy construction equipment must wear high-visibility personal protective gear&#;specifically, upper body reflective clothing. This includes vests, jackets, shirts, and hoodies.

Additionally, OSHA requires all reflective safety gear to feature a strong color that is distinct from the surrounding environment, such as orange, yellow, yellow-green, and vibrant red. Furthermore, during nighttime operating hours, reflective clothing must reflect light from all directions at 1,000 feet or greater. Failure to comply with these standards will result in legal discipline and fines.

ANSI Standards for Reflective Clothing

ANSI/ISEA 107 are the standards that relate to reflective clothing. Of course, these standards aren&#;t legally binding unless you are a highway worker&#;the Federal Highway Visibility Rule legally enforces the requirements set by ANSI/ISEA 107. All ANSI/ISEA reflective clothing must contain three specific characteristics or features: colored fluorescent background material, retroreflective material, and combined-performance material, which is a combination of retroreflective material and fluorescent material.

For clothing to be ANSI/ISEA compliant, it must fall within one of the following designations&#;type R (roadway and temporary traffic control), type O (off-road), and type P (public safety). These designations are further broken down into performance classifications, from Class 1 to Class 3. For instance, ANSI type O garments are used in less-hazardous settings, so they only have to meet performance classification 1. This means they offer the minimum requirement for high-visibility fabrics and materials and are appropriate for non-complex working environments.

ANSI type R and type P reflective clothing are classified as Class 2 or 3. Class 2 provides more visibility of the human form compared to Class 1 and is meant for roadway rights-of-way workers in temporary traffic control (TTC) zones. Class 3 is the most visible performance classification of reflective clothing and must include sleeves. ANSI also has a performance classification called Class E, which includes garments and accessories that don&#;t meet visibility standards on their own. You can combine Class E items with Class 2 or Class 3 equipment to create a Class 3 outfit.

Performance Class 1 Minimum Requirements:

• 155 inches squared of retroreflective material
• 217 inches squared of background material
• Intended for working environments separated from traffic, traveling up to 25 miles per hour
• Intended for workers whose tasks don&#;t divert attention from approaching traffic
• Adequately distinguishes the wearer from the surrounding environment

Common users: warehouse workers, truck drivers, parking lot attendants

Performance Class 2 Minimum Requirements:

• 201 inches squared of retroreflective material
• 775 inches squared of background material
• Enhanced visibility during adverse weather conditions
• Workers operating near traffic exceeding 25 miles per hour

Common users: surveyors, emergency responders, utility professionals, roadway construction workers

Performance Class 3 Minimum Requirements:

• 310 inches squared of retroreflective material
• inches squared of background material
• For workers operating in environments containing imminent dangers
• Visible from distances exceeding 1,280 feet

Common users: same as Performance Class 2, as well as flaggers

Understanding the OSHA and ANSI standards for reflective clothing can save lives and save businesses millions of dollars in legal punishments and fines. We at SafetyShirtz have custom reflective work shirts and related products to ensure you and your peers remain safe while working in hazardous environments.

Safety via Compliance: A Look at Standards for Hi-Vis Clothing

In , over 2.8 million Americans were injured or got sick on the job. A further 5,486 lost their lives. These statistics show how dangerous simply going to work can be.

Of course, a 100% accident-free workplace is impossible to achieve. Yet employers need to do everything they can to keep their workers safe, and in many industries, that means wearing hi-vis clothing.

The regulations for high-visibility clothing are interesting and are based on two sets of standards. Let's take a closer look at what those standards involve and how compliance can protect your workers.

What Is Hi-Vis Clothing?

Hi-vis is short for high-visibility clothing. This apparel is designed to stand out in various lighting conditions. There are different classes of hi-vis clothing depending on the level of traffic exposure in the workplace.

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Hi-vis clothing is also available in a wide range of colors. However, the most common hi-vis colors are fluorescent yellow-green and orange, and these are the colors the high visibility standards focus on.

OSHA High-Visibility Standards

The cornerstone of worker safety in the United States is the Occupational Safety and Health Act of . Commonly known as the OSHA Act, this empowers the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to oversee workplace safety standards and compliance.

OSHA sets out an overarching principle that encompasses the need to use hi-vis clothing, along with a few specific standards. Section 5(a)(1) of the OSHA Act states that employers must ensure their workplace is free from hazards that are likely to cause injury or death to their employees.

This is often called the general duty clause. It highlights that employers have to take proactive steps to protect their workers. Because hi-vis clothing is an essential tool for worker safety, it can help employers meet their obligations.

Introducing the American National Standard

While OSHA does not provide specifics about hi-visibility clothing, the American National Standard for High-Visibility Safety Apparel (ANSI/ISEA 107) does. 

History of the Standard

The ANSI/ISEA 107 standard was developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). It collaborated with the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) to create standards that ensure consistency across all US industries.

Key Components

The ANSI/ISEA 107 standard requires that hi-vis clothing stays visible under a range of lighting conditions. The goal is that workers are highly visible, reducing the risk of collisions. This directly relates to the OSHA requirement to remove hazards that could cause injuries or death.

It also establishes the minimum area that must be covered by fluorescent material. To do this, it sets out a classification system. This categorizes clothing based on exposure to traffic, with the goal of keeping risk to a minimum.

Extra Considerations

Simply following the ANSI/ISEA 107 standard may not be enough to meet an employer's OSHA requirements in all situations. Some industries have their own requirements for hi-vis colors.

For example, if workers are going to be working against a yellow background, yellow high-visibility clothing will provide less protection. Therefore, employers may require blue or red vests to ensure employees stand out against the yellow background.

Training is also essential. Each worker should have training, so they know which type of hi-vis clothing to use in different workplace situations. They also need to know how to wash and care for hi-vis clothing so that it remains effective.

Hi-Vis Classifications

There are three classes of hi-vis clothing set out in ANSI/ISEA 107. Each class requires a greater amount of reflective material than the last.

Class 1 

Class 1 high-visibility clothing must have 217 square inches of fluorescent background material and 155 square inches of reflective tape. It is classed as Type O-for off-road use only.

This hi-vis apparel is ideal for indoor workers, those who retrieve shopping carts, work in factories or warehouses or work in the oil and gas industry. It features the smallest amount of reflective material of all the classes.

Class 2 

Class 2 hi-vis clothing requires 755 square inches of fluorescent material. The retroreflective material must equal at least 201 square inches. There are two types of class 2 garments - type R and type P.

Type R is designed for roadway situations. It is perfect for road construction workers or transport applications that require workers to come into close contact with moving vehicles.

Type P is for public safety situations. Police officers, firefighters, and EMS all wear these types of vests. The police typically wear shorter vests to allow them to access firearms more quickly.

Workers who wear class 2 hi-vis clothing have jobs that allow them to concentrate on and avoid hazards. However, if in doubt, you will not be breaking high-visibility standards by wearing a class 3 garment in a class 2 setting!

Class 3

To meet OSHA requirements, Class 3 hi-vis clothing must be visible at a distance of 1,280 feet. The fluorescent background material must be 1,240 square inches, and reflective tape must cover 310 square inches.

Class 3 is for the most dangerous occupations. It's for times when you will be in close proximity to vehicles moving at high speed. Think freeway repairs and similar dangerous occupations.

Also, DOT workers and flaggers, who have to give their full attention to the job, should always wear class 3 hi-vis clothing.

Available Clothing Options

Although vests are the most common type of hi-vis clothing, there are many other products available. For example, ANSI Class 3 hoodies and sweatshirts can keep you visible and warm. They're also perfect for runners and cyclists who need to be visible in low-light conditions.

A jacket is another great option that provides outstanding visibility and protection. Again, they are available in different classes, so you are suitably protected wherever you're working.  

Keep Safe with Hi-Vis Clothing

Hi-vis clothing is essential for meeting OSHA requirements. It makes your workers visible whether they're in the warehouse or working close to road traffic. Hi-vis clothing comes in a huge range of styles, so there's something for every industry.

At Hi-Viz.com, we have a wide range of vests in ANSI Classes 1, 2, and 3. We also stock a variety of hi-vis colors and enhanced visibility vests to keep your workers safe in different settings.

Click here to check out our hi-vis safety vests range today!

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