Selecting and purchasing high visibility apparel can be quite a tedious task. Some of you may think that the entire process of selection depends on the budget and that the hi-vis clothing fits you well. In reality, however, it is not like that. You have to keep many other factors into consideration as well, to come to the right decision.
If you are entirely clueless about how to buy high-visibility apparel for your team, then we are here to help you out. This article focuses on why high visibility clothing is important, how they work and what to look for when buying them. So, let’s get to know all of that.
Why is Hi-Vis Apparel Important?
Before we come to discuss what you need to look out for when buying high visibility clothing, we need to talk about why is it important to wear it. One of the main reasons why you need to wear custom safety vests within the workplace is for you to have increased visibility. Especially if you are working at a construction site, a factory, operating heavy machinery, or are a part of a team of rescue workers.
For instance, you must have heard about many workers getting involved in accidents because they were working along the road and were not visible to oncoming traffic. This is the problem you will come across if you do not wear the appropriate clothing when working. And it is something that you can easily prevent if you wear reflective clothing.
How Does it Work?
High visibility clothing is made using brightly colored fabric along with reflective tape that makes the wearer visible in the dark. The fluorescent color of the fabric highlights you in the dark, while the reflective tape around the arm and legs emphasizes your limbs. This helps to ensure, that even if an oncoming driver cannot see you in the dark they can still see your silhouette that is reflected by a near light source. The tape also helps to distinguish you from other surrounding objects like cones and construction barrels.
How is the Standard of these Clothes Ensured?
The main features of safety apparel are the bright background and the reflecting tape. These custom high visibility jackets come in all of the fluorescent shades. You will find them in green, yellow, red, and orange-red. To make sure that the garment you are purchasing has the appropriate safety features that you need for your job you need to look for the ANSI/ISEA 107-2015 label on the vests.
These labels suggest that the garment is made adhering to the safety standards that are set in place. The ANSI/ISEA 107-2015 is the label that follows the most recent standard that is set in the year 2015. Any other labels that you may find would be based on the older standards.
You must be wondering what is ANSI/ISEA? They are actually the short forms of the American National Standards Institute – ANSI and the International Safety Equipment Association – ISEA. These are the 2 organizations that are responsible for setting the safety standard for all safety apparel.
What to Look For in High Visibility Clothes?
Before purchasing high visibility clothing there are a few things that you have to look for in safety apparel. All of the things that you need to look out for to make sure that your apparel is of good quality are given below.
Durability
The first thing that you have to make sure of is that the clothing is durable. If you are a part of a working team then you would most probably need your hi-vis jackets every day at work. This is why it is essential to make sure that it is highly durable. Make sure that the apparel has double stitching so it would not rip. The color should be of good quality so that it does not fade out. These are the problems that you can avoid only if you go for high-quality vests.
Washable at Home
You would obviously need washable jackets. However, you should not use bleach or any other harsh products to wash them as that would damage the tape, you still need to wash them. As you have to wear them every day at work, and they might get really dirty it is necessary that these jackets and shirts are easily washed in the washer at home.
High Reflectivity
Since they are custom high visibility jackets they come with retro-reflective panels. However, you have to make sure that these reflective strips do not only work at night but are just as efficient during the day. They should have 360 degrees of visibility. This means that even if your safety vest is lying on the ground or any other flat surface, you should still be able to see about 40% of the reflective strips on the sides.
Comfortable to Wear
Just like any other workwear, your hi-vis clothing should also be comfortable. While some clothing pieces come in one size only, you can look out for garments that come with size adjustable straps. This would help you layer up in winter and adjust the size accordingly in summers when you are not wearing as much.
Extra Pockets
It is always advisable that you look for extra pockets in your workwear as you might need to carry some equipment along with you. In such instances, you cannot carry everything in your hands. So you need to have some pockets handy so you can store items in them with ease.
Reliable Manufacturers
Lastly, try and opt for manufacturers which are reliable. You should always opt for a brand that works professionally and has been in the business for some time, which indicates that they know what they are doing. You should also read up on reviews of other customers and their experiences. See if they have a return service in case something goes wrong.
If you want to check out a reliable manufacturer then head over to ApparelnBags as they have the full range of high visibility apparel. You can easily place an order and get premium quality safety vests at your doorstep in no time! Moreover, they also offer customization services so you can get the fabric and fit of your choice! How great is that?! So head over to ApparelnBags and shop now!