Hi-Vis Clothing and Why it is Important

Whether it’s the roadside, the worksite or out in the paddock, ensure you’re seen at all times in Hi-Vis Garments. 

High visibility clothing is one of the most crucial parts that you will use in your personal protective equipment, so it’s essential that you have a reasonable supply on hand. There are a couple of suppliers that focus on workwear and in designing and supplying specialist workwear, they design only the best quality safety clothing to make sure you stay safe outdoors, both day and night.

Safety First: Importance of wearing Hi Vis Clothing

Wearing workwear that’s hi vis is paramount to ensure the safety of personnel in certain industries. Some of the more common types of jobs where high visibility clothing should be worn include:

  • Construction
  • Traffic Control
  • School Crossing Guards
  • Waste Collection
  • Road Construction
  • Emergency Services
  • Parking Lot Attendants
  • Tow Truck Drivers
  • Airport Ground Workers
  • Heavy Equipment Operators
  • Railroad Workers
  • Warehouse Workers
  • Utility Workers
  • Shipyard Workers
  • Construction Engineers

Hi vis vests and uniforms come in various reflective and fluorescent bright colours, predominantly orange and yellow (lime) for use throughout the day and night. No matter the industry, it’s vital to pick appropriate hi vis clothing that best suits the job requirements and conditions.

Think Uniforms has a range of reflective vests, jackets and pants are ideal to use in low light levels and nighttime work environments, particularly late-night road construction. Our selection of hi vis clothing is designed and made from materials that are suitable for both day and nighttime jobs, however, some are more reflective than others. As a result, it’s important to keep this factor in mind when selecting the most appropriate high vis safety product for your career environment. There are some vests and uniforms that offer both types of materials so they can be used in both work environments.

You gain several benefits when you have access to proper high vis clothing. Some major benefits include:

  • Ensures employees remain visible at all times– easier to see personnel, especially if their regular clothing can easily blend into the background
  • Easier for drivers to see workers on the road– roadside construction and other areas where vehicle traffic is present, wearing high visibility clothing reduces the risk of injuries caused by oncoming traffic
  • Creates a safer work environment– Employees feel safer when they have access to his vis workwear. Increased safety translates to boosted productivity and employee morale. Accidents are also reduced.

What does Hi Vis mean?

High visibility clothing is sometimes shortened to hi vis or hi viz. Hi vis clothing refers to any garment that is highly luminescent in its natural matt property, or easily discernible from any background. Hi vis clothing is usually worn on the torso and arm area of the body (like a vest or jacket).

 

What do hi vis Colours mean?

The following colours in hi vis workwear mean the following:

Orange offers the best visibility against almost any background, especially industrial greys, whites and natural greens. Whether it is day or night, oranges are the most visible and the closest to red. In trade settings, the colour orange means “caution-proceed carefully”.

Meanwhile, both fluorescent yellow high visibility PPE creates a strong contrast against dark greys and black. Fluorescent yellow is the brightest colour on the chromatic scale and the most widely worn shade, the colour orange is associated with construction and roadside work. Orange also has a stronger position in identifying people while driving in the dark.

 

Is Hi Vis PPE?

In construction, industrial or other work environments, employees are required to wear high visibility clothing as a part of their personal protective equipment (PPE).

Work-related injuries and fatalities are common due to low visibility. For work personnel on the road, it’s crucial to be visible during the daytime and night. Recent years, requirements on wearing fluorescent and reflective clothing have become a part of daily work.

Wearing hi vis clothing helps lower accidents relating to poor vision. Due to the bright colour and reflective properties used in these clothing items, drivers have a higher chance to avoid hitting workers while on the road.

What is the best high visibility colour?

When it comes to external work environments, the best high visibility colours for hi vis clothing are orange followed by yellow (sometimes known as lime). The two colours offer the best visibility against almost any background colour and are the most reflective at night- especially natural greens, greys, blacks and whites.