When Must High-Visibility Clothing be Worn?

Posted 6 years ago

High-Visibility Clothing was designed to ensure that you can be seen when you’re in an environment with poor lighting. You’ll often see cyclists wearing high-visibility clothing when they’re out on an evening ride. But we’re going to be talking about when it’s a necessity to wear high-visibility clothing, and the minimum requirements when it comes to wearing them.

When Must High-Visibility Clothing Be Worn?

High-Visibility clothing is required for some jobs, mainly in construction. So if your employer has a high-visibility policy, you have to comply with it.

However, if you don’t have your own set of high-visibility clothing, don’t panic! Your employer MUST provide you with the clothing if it’s required for the job free of charge. Be that as it may, it’s your duty to make sure that the clothing/equipment stays in good condition and lasts an adequate amount of time. Your employer may insist on you replacing the equipment if you cause any unnecessary damage to it.

High-visibility clothing must be worn in any construction zones that vehicles operate in. This also applies to drivers when they leave their vehicle.

High-visibility clothing is often a sleeveless top, but it can be anything that makes it clear that the person on the construction site can be seen. A high-visibility coat can be an alternative if the temperature is cold and/or the job is outside.

For the day time, workers should wear fluorescent clothing. Fluorescent colours don’t show up in the dark or ‘glow in the dark’, they look bright because of the way they absorb and emit different lights. For night time, retro-reflective materials should be worn to bounce back the light from a source, for example, a worker who is working on a road at night will reflect the light emitted from headlights.

Public operation construction workers need a much higher standard of visibility. They often will have to wear a high-visibility jacket and trousers for these jobs. This is because they are working in public areas, so any members of the public unaware of the construction in place may not be keeping an eye out for construction workers. This is a serious requirement for these types of jobs. This is why you’ll always see a Lollipop Lady/Man wearing high-visibility clothing.

Our PPE Training

Our PPE Training Course is for anyone whose job requires them to wear PPE of ant type. It focuses on its importance and how to wear it correctly and the hazards PPE protects you from. This course will help show your commitment to working towards compliance with The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992.