The type of clothing with high visibility is specified by the working environment in which the wearer performs the task. Clothing includes but is not limited to vests, jackets, pants, shirts, raincoats, and jumpsuits.
Performance requirements focus on the color and brightness of garments and head wear relative to the work environment and the combined use of fluorescent and reflective materials to make a person conspicuous in all light conditions, day or night. The standard offers three Performance Classes for garments, based on worker hazards and tasks, complexity of the work environment or background and vehicular traffic and speed conditions.
HVSA types are mainly divided into O type, R type and P type
·Occupational HVSA for Type O (off-road) road use
O-type HVSA provides visual saliency enhancement services for workers during the day and night, whose occupational environment may be obstructed by the movement of vehicles, equipment, and machinery, but does not include traffic exposed to public passages, road rights of way, or temporary traffic control (TTC) areas.
·Professional HVSA for R type road use
R type HVSA provides significantly enhanced daytime and nighttime vision for employees in occupational environments, including exposure to traffic (travel for the purpose of highway vehicle use) within public access to highway rights, or temporary traffic control (TTC) areas in alleyways or temporary traffic control (TTC) areas for off duty vehicles and building equipment.
·Occupational HVSA for emergency responders and legal personnel of type P (public safety)
The Type P HVSA provides visual saliency enhancement during day and night, protecting emergency and incident response personnel and law enforcement personnel from the influence of traffic from public passages, highway right of way, or temporary traffic control (TTC) areas (vehicles using highways for travel purposes) in the occupational environment. (III) Work vehicles, construction equipment, or equipment used within temporary traffic management areas of roads Construction vehicles.Type P HVSA provides additional options for emergency response personnel, event response personnel, and law enforcement personnel who have competing hazards or require the use of special equipment.
| Garment Type | Performance Class | Background Material [Square Inches (in²)] | Retroreflective or Combined-Performance Materials (in²) | Minimum Width Retroreflective Material [Inches (in)] |
| Type O | Class 1 | 217 | 155 | 1 |
| Type R | Class 2* | 775 | 201 | 1.38 |
| Class 3** | 1240 | 310 | 2 | |
| *For the smallest size offered in Type R, Performance Class 2, a minimum of 540 in² of background material may be used to accommodate small-sized workers. **For the smallest size offered in Type R, Performance Class 3, a minimum of 1,000 in² of background material may be used to accommodate small-sized workers. |
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| Type P | Class 2 | 450 | 201 | 2 |
| Class 3 | 775 | 310 | 2 | |
| Supplemental Items | Class E | 465 | 109 | 2 |
Performance classes are mainly divided into: performance Class 1 Type O , performance Class 2 Type R and Type P, performance Class 3 Type R and Type P.
The performance class of each high visibility safety clothing is specified based on the minimum area of the high visibility materials contained. The performance category provides a series of design options that correspond to the needs of users in the expected risk environment. Type O includes personality abilities, while Type R and Type P each have two performance categories.
·Class 1 Type O
Class 1 provides the minimum amount of high visibility material required to visually distinguish the wearer from non complex work environments. In this case, hazardous materials will not approach at road speeds, thus operating detection and identification data.Without compromising safety, the distance in the work environment may be shorter than in other situations.
·Class 2 Type R and Type P
Class 2 requires the use of an additional amount of high visibility materials, which may allow design opportunities to more effectively define human form. Compared to HVSA at performance Class 1, HVSA at performance Class 2 may provide longer measurement and recognition distances and improve eye-catching performance.
Note: Performance Class 2 HVSA is considered the minimum practice for HVSA within the Right of Way and Temporary Traffic Control (TTC) area, as required by the 2009 MUTCD.
·Class 3 Type R and Type P
Class 3 can enhance the wearer's visibility in complex backgrounds and full body movements by forcing the placement of background, reflective, and composite performance materials on the sleeves and legs. Regardless of the area of the materials used, sleeveless clothing or vests alone should not be considered as performance Class 3.
Performance Class 3 provides greater visibility for wearers in complex backgrounds and comprehensive body movements by forcing the placement of background, reflective, and comprehensive performance materials on sleeves and pants legs. Regardless of the material used, sleeveless clothing or vests alone should not be considered as performance Class 3.
·Supplementary category E
Pants, bibs, work clothes, shorts, and leggings should be designated as Type E. To meet HVSA's PPE requirements, it is not allowed to wear Type E items alone. When an Type E item is worn with a performance Class 2 or performance Class 3 item, it is generally classified as performance Class 3.
According to different work environments and needs, you can choose protective clothing that is more suitable for the work environment to protect your safety.
(See www.safetyequipment.org for a complete copy of the ANSI/ISEA 107‐2020 standard)
·HVSA: High Visibility Safety Apparel