EN 17353 - Protective clothing 

Questions and Answers About EN 17353*

What is EN 17353?

EN 17353 is a European standard for protective clothing designed to provide enhanced visibility of the wearer in medium-risk situations. It covers all daylight conditions (daytime visibility through fluorescent background material) and/or visibility when illuminated by vehicle headlights or searchlights in the dark (night-time visibility through retroreflective material).

Many companies are not required to comply with EN ISO 20471 but still want to provide their employees with workwear featuring additional elements for improved visibility.

What is the difference between EN 17353 and EN ISO 20471?

Both standards specify requirements for protective clothing designed to improve visibility.

EN 17353 is intended for active road users, meaning people on the road who actively participate in traffic and pay attention to it (e.g. cyclists and pedestrians). The standard specifies requirements for protective clothing that provides enhanced visibility during medium-risk activities. It is used in sectors such as industry, energy supply and metal construction, as well as in sports and leisure activities. Its aim is to increase the wearer's visibility, particularly in poor visibility conditions, without requiring compliance with the high-visibility standard. The standard distinguishes between different types of clothing.

EN ISO 20471 is intended for passive road users, meaning people on the road who are not actively participating in vehicle traffic and whose attention is not focused on traffic. It applies to activities in high-risk environments, such as road construction sites, where workers are continuously exposed to hazards from vehicles or machinery. The standard sets significantly higher visibility requirements and defines high-visibility clothing classes based on the surface area and arrangement of the materials used.

What is the difference between EN 17353 Type A and EN 17353 Type B?

EN 17353 Type A applies to medium-risk situations under all daylight conditions. Daytime visibility is ensured by fluorescent background material. All BP® garments for enhanced visibility comply with Type A.

EN 17353 Type B applies to medium-risk situations in darkness, for example when illuminated by vehicle headlights or searchlights. Night-time visibility is ensured by retroreflective material on all limbs, which must provide all-round visibility. The reflective strips must be at least 20 mm wide. BP® offers standards-compliant customisation of BP® garments for enhanced visibility by applying reflective strips.

*As these are abbreviated summaries of binding occupational safety standards, this article does not claim to reproduce all the requirements defined in the standards. Although this article is regularly reviewed and updated by our experts, we cannot guarantee that the information is up to date or accurate.

Where is protective clothing certified to EN 17353 used?

EN 17353 – Types B2 and B3 for use in darkness

There is a growing trend towards equipping protective clothing and workwear with additional visibility elements without meeting all the requirements of EN ISO 20471. This clothing is used in medium-risk situations. Reflective strips on the sleeves and trouser legs (limbs) correspond to Type B2, while an additional reflective strip around the torso corresponds to Type B3.

One example is the use of reflective strips on the limbs of BP® Med & Care clothing to improve the visibility of mobile care service employees when crossing roads in the dark. Reflective strips on workwear also help employees in logistics, municipal services and manufacturing companies carry out their duties more safely at dusk, in darkness or in poor visibility conditions.

For this reason, we also offer retrofitting with reflective strips in accordance with EN 17353 (Type B2) for selected collections. The image on the left shows examples of work trousers and work jackets customised with reflective strips.

EN 17353 – Type A for daytime use

Where there is a risk of not being seen during the day, fluorescent protective clothing certified to EN 17353 Type A is used. This clothing can be suitable for waste collection and disposal companies, for example in the form of shirts in fluorescent high-visibility colours that improve daytime visibility.

Shirts can either form part of a clothing system certified to EN ISO 20471 or be worn individually in medium-risk situations. Discover our range of shirts certified to EN 17353 (Type A).

What is the difference between garments certified to EN 17353 Type AB and EN ISO 20471 Class 1?

Clothing certified to EN 17353 Type AB requires a larger area of fluorescent background material, whereas EN ISO 20471 Class 1 requires a larger area of retroreflective material. Clothing certified to EN 17353 is primarily designed for activities involving active participation in road traffic, while clothing certified to EN ISO 20471 is worn during work activities near road traffic, where there is a high risk of the wearer not being seen and where enhanced visibility is required to protect them from traffic-related hazards.

The same principle applies here: The selection of suitable protective clothing depends on the intended application and must be determined through a risk assessment.

In general, EN 17353 offers greater design flexibility regarding the arrangement of fluorescent background materials, the width of reflective strips and the range of fluorescent background colours.