Who needs safety vests?
Nowadays there are many different uses for safety vests. Safety
vests main purpose of course is to stay visible, and there are
many different types of safety vests for all different
occasions. You will most often see them at construction sites
all around town as you are driving by, as well as many bikers
have chosen to be more visible to drivers and are finding that
the best way to keep bright is to purchase a safety vest while
they are on the road.
Now there are many different array of safety vest so where do
you start? Well, mainly the choice is yours and yours alone.
There are many different styles for the particular needs that
you may have when you are looking for the right vest. Let's go
through some of the styles options and what they have to offer.
First you must find out what class of vest you will need for the
type of industry you are in and find out if they suit your
needs.
There are 3 different classes available:
Class 1 safety vests - These are used primarily used for low
traffic areas such as a sidewalk maintenance or a parking lot
attendant. This class of safety vest does not need ANSI approval.
Class 2 Safety Vests - The class 2 safety vests need to go
through ANSI approval and are used for speeds that are no more
that 25 mph, most likely you would see traffic officers and a
school crossing guard sporting these class of safety vests.
Class 3 Safety Vests - These safety vests also need ANSI
approval required and you would typically see these worn by
highway construction workers, road surveyors or anywhere that
the speed exceeds more than 50 mph.
The different colours help keep you visible and the size of the
reflective striping also is a great start whether it be 2" or
3", the thicker the striping the more visibility you will have.
Most safety vest at least the top most quality have 100%
polyester and you can get them with a see through mesh, t-shirt
style or for the most visibility put on a full suit, especially
if you are working at night on dark highways.
You also want to make sure that the ANSI has approved the safety
vest as well. ANSI is the American National Standards Institute
is a private non-profit organisation that administers and
co-ordinates the US voluntary standardisation and conformity
assessment system. They regulate the highest safety standards
for all safety product in the US This is a big one so please be
aware of what you are buying.
Sept. 15th of this year, the American National Standards
Institute have updated their standards for safety apparel, the
revised standard is a guideline for the design, performance
specifications and use of high-visibility and reflective apparel
including vests, jackets, bib/jump-suit coveralls, trousers and
harnesses. All safety apparel that meet the standard provide
users with a high level of conspicuity through the use of
combined fluorescent and retroreflective materials.
After all that is said and done, you can start looking for any
extras you may want such as pockets on the safety vest whether
it inside or outside, also if you prefer the mesh vest as
opposed to a t-shirt type, the can also come with the tearaway
features, pull over or the zipper. Once you make your final
decision I know you will have the ultimate in safety wear and
providing a safe work environment for all your patrons
employees.