By Marla Mills


There are some employment opportunities that have an element of danger largely based on low visibility of the workers. In some others the individual needs to be noticeable so that the people around them can easily recognize someone in a particular role. For situations that fall into these categories and more, there are several styles of safety vests than can give an additional measure of recognition and protection.

These garments are made of fluorescent material that draws the attention of others to an individual that may have otherwise been unnoticed. Sometimes multiple colors are used at events in order to denote particular job positions. There are quite a few style variations but they all fall under four main categories for quick description.

The category of Class 2 is the most commonly used type and comes in fluorescent yellow, orange and lime. They are worn over regular shirts or above uniforms and usually bears the name of company or department, making it easy for others to determine who is wearing them. This type is normally used for situations where the weather makes visibility low or where the traffic is high but under 50mph.

This is the standard issue style of most situations involving members of law enforcement, utility workers, construction and emergency response personnel. There are different variations of the Class 2 such as the adjustable, mesh, illuminated and the flame retardant versions. This makes them more customizable to the particular circumstance under which they will be worn.

When a bit more attention needs to be put on the wearers, the Class 3 offers a somewhat enhanced range of advanced recognition and reflective materials. These are worn as shirts and may be either long, short or half sleeved. Some general situations under which this type is utilized are those where there is virtually no visibility and the weather conditions are extreme or where the traffic flow is heavy and traveling above 50mph.

Another type is that which is used for public safety, usually being worn by the police, firefighters, paramedics and DOT personnel during emergency response situations. To make it quicker and easier to identify which department each person is working for, they are assigned specific colors. Law enforcement takes blue, Medical wears green, fire has red and transportation gets orange.

The simplest, and easiest to obtain are the economy class, which is the type often seen at special events. In the various fluorescent colors, they are worn by those directing traffic or providing security, and are normally unprinted or marked with generic terms so that they may be used for multiple occasions. Many motorcyclist choose to wear these when driving at night or in bad weather in order to make themselves more visible to approaching and passing motorists.

Almost all styles of safety vests are available in different bright colors and designs that can help give definition during some situations. They may be of a solid material to provide more reflective surface, or of a mesh so that there is better ventilation and lightweight comfort. Some of them have pockets which allow the stowing of tools, pencils or other necessary job accessories and others are made to easily break away at multiple points should they become hung up on a snag.




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