EN ISO 20471

Hi-Vis protective clothing according to EN ISO 20471

Protective clothing for visual signalling of the wearer in all possible light conditions during the day (daytime visibility due to fluorescent background material) as well as when illuminated by headlights in the dark (nighttime visibility due to reflective material).

When the days get shorter and it is dark for a long time, a particularly dangerous time begins for workers in road construction: in order to be seen early enough by the drivers of passing cars, they need Hi-Vis protective clothing that offers optimal visibility. People who work, for example, at railway or port facilities, at airports or in waste and disposal operations also depend on such high-visibility warning protective clothing to be able to carry out their activities safely. The EN ISO 20471 standard specifies the requirements that PPE must meet.

Description

EN ISO 20471 describes the requirements for protective clothing to visually signal the wearer in all possible lighting conditions. The warning clothing should ensure that the wearer is conspicuously visible to vehicle drivers or operators of other technical equipment in all lighting conditions - both in daylight and under headlamp illumination in the dark.

Conditions for wearing depend on local influences such as weather conditions, contrast of the surroundings, traffic density and other factors.

Materials used

High-visibility clothing is basically made of two materials. The bright orange, yellow or red is called fluorescent background material and increases daytime visibility. The reflective stripes provide better visibility in the dark or at dusk. The reflective material only unfolds its function when illuminated by a light source.

A good supplement on this topic - also with regard to DIN EN 17353 (Increased visibility for medium risk situations) - can be found on the website Arbeitsschutz Wiki .

Classes

The number next to the pictogram (here x) always indicates the clothing class according to the following overview. The higher the class, the higher the visibility:

Class 1 = 0.14 m² HM* + 0.10 m² RM** (e.g. waistcoat)

Class 2 = 0.50 m² HM*+ 0.13 m² RM** (e.g. jacket)

Class 3 = 0.80 m² HM* + 0.20 m² RM** (e.g. weatherproof jacket)

* HM = background material

** RM = reflective material

Warning protection class 3 is only achieved if the above-mentioned minimum requirements regarding the fluorescent background material and the retro-reflective reflective material are met. In addition, other requirements described in EN ISO 20471 must be observed.

Areas of application

In many professional fields of application, the wearing of high-visibility clothing is required by law.

Industries in which high-visibility clothing is frequently worn are:

Logistics and production parks
Recycling plants
Building yards
Road construction, civil engineering
Track construction
Winter road maintenance
Work in public traffic areas
Waste management
Transport companies
Supply and disposal companies
Airports

UV protection plays an important role when working outdoors. BG BAU provides practical advice hier.

Types of reflective tape

BP® uses several different types of reflective tape, which are explained below:

Glass sphere technology: Thousands of small glass spheres are applied to a textile carrier material and reflect incident light back to the source. Due to the glass ball technology, the strips are relatively light and thin. Nevertheless, they offer excellent reflection values. Segmented reflective strips, which are also based on glass sphere technology, are particularly suitable for stretchable textiles such as shirts.

Microprism technology: Thousands of small microprisms are applied to PVC and reflect incident light back to the source. These microprisms are particularly resistant to dirt and abrasion because they are protected by another plastic layer. The reflective values in wet and poor weather conditions are particularly good.

Segmented reflective strips: Segmented reflective strips manufactured on the basis of glass ball technology are glued directly to the fabric. They are therefore very light and are particularly suitable for use on stretchy materials.