Are You
Still Visible?
High-Visibility workwear is a vital element of workplace safety. ANSI compliant workwear helps to keep you seen, safe, and protected in low-light and harsh weather conditions. However, as garments age, they can lose their visibility in both day and night conditions. Knowing when to replace an aged garment is critical.
High-Visibility Garments
Have a Useful Life
Over the last 20 years, ANSI has developed standards for high visibility workwear and we are proud to have helped develop them. Compliance means that, when first purchased, your garment meets the ANSI/ISEA 107 standard.
But how long can a garment be worn until it no longer provides the visibility needed for worker safety? How dirty can it get, how much wear can it endure, how much can it age and still provide enough visibility to keep workers conspicuous on the job? How long is that garment’s useful life?
The useful life of a garment is a complicated subject. Our Garment Inspection Card is an important tool that safety managers, compliance officers, and field workers can use to help determine when a garment should be replaced.
According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) garments used daily have a typical life expectancy of 6 months
Inspect Your Garments
Learn how to check if your garment is still highly visible – Watch this How-To Video
Acceptable
Acceptable product providing maximum visibility and safety for the user: Vivid color contrast and high reflectivity.
Marginal
Marginal product: Good reflectivity although the product has some soiling and light fading.
Unacceptable
Unacceptable product when torn, faded, worn and dirty, or abraded: Little to no reflectivity, and soiled and faded material.
Learn more on what makes a garment unacceptable
- Fade – the background fabric colors are tested to meet the ANSI standard and provide maximum visibility if the garment’s color has faded beyond this requirement, may not be compliant.
- Tears – the amount of reflective and background materials a garment must use are specified in the standard. If the garment has lost integrity through tearing or is tattered, it’s time to replace it.
- Excessively dirty – garments meet standards when they are clean, excessive dirt or soiling degrades the visibility of the garment and can take it out of compliance.
- Excessively worn – excessive wear can reduce the performance of background material and reflective materials which can mean it’s time for a new garment.
- Abraded – defaced garments have less visible background and reflective material which could mean they are likely out of compliance.
Make sure your garment is still highly visible. Get your garment inspection card.*
*The garment card is to be used as a reference tool only.
Stay Safe and Visible
We want to encourage the routine practice of inspection to determine the useful life of the high visibility garment.
You and your team deserve to be safe and visible on the job and we are committed to doing everything we can to help ensure that you are.
It can be a challenge to know when your garment needs to be replaced due to wear. We have created an inspection card to help you make sure your garments remain in compliance. Just fill out the form below and one of our sales associates will contact you within 48 hours.