In its work as a European Notified Body for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Satra certifies most types of clothing that are designed and manufactured to afford protection to people who work in different indoor and outdoor work environments. Satra’s Mark Gamble provides an overview of high visibility PPE.
The garments certified by Satra include those that protect against singular hazards, for example, fire, or impacts, or cuts. Some of these are designed to protect their users against more than one type of hazard, a reflection of the complex environments in which many people work.
Garments that protect against a range of hazards are often referred to as multi-norm garments. This is because they are assessed against multiple European standards, each of which has been normalised or harmonised for use in support of regulatory requirements for PPE.
Once approved a Satra evaluated item of PPE can, subject to provisions (such as the drawing up of an EU certificate of conformity) be CE marked. The item is then permitted to be sold across the marketplace of the European Union. Among the various types of PPE clothing that Satra certifies those that confer high visibility on their end user are of the most common, with many multi-norm garments also having a high visibility element.
The requirements for making a garment with high visibility characteristics are set out in two European standards EN1150:1999 and EN ISO 20471:2013. The former standard is for garments that are intended for non-professional use. The standard is most often used in association with the manufacture of children’s clothing, but is also used by those companies that supply equestrian and cyclists’ high visibility clothes. However, the primary standard for testing most high visibility clothing is EN ISO 20471:2013 - a standard that guides manufacturers towards producing garments that protect workers in situations that may carry high risk. The principle requirements for high visibility clothing are that they are made using coloured background material for day time visibility and retro-reflective bands for night time visibility. The materials used must meet specified requirements, and garments must conform to specific design criteria.
A question often asked about high visibility clothing is how long should it last? This of course is a very difficult question to answer as high visibility clothing is used in a wide range of working environments. While the standard EN ISO 20471:2013 sets out rigorous requirements for the mechanical and colour fastness requirements of material to be used, it would be unreasonable to expect a standard to define tests for all the possible scenarios under which a garment might suffer damage. Similarly, even when a high visibility garment has other property claims made for it, as in the instance of multi-norm garments, it would be unreasonable to expect all situations under which damage might occur to be put to the test.
However, this does not mean that a manufacturer supplying high visibility clothing should not consider product performance under a range of different use situations. It is often forgotten that tests performed on PPE are undertaken to see that minimum health and safety requirements are met. Therefore, it should always be remembered that competitive advantage can be gained if a supplier of PPE can demonstrate favourable performance characteristics of the product that are over and above the minimum requirements of a standard. For example, often little consideration is given in basic products to how a garment might perform in the presence of seawater, or if subjected to environmental wear and tear, or, indeed, whether it is possible to effectively remove soiling such as mud that may readily contain abrasive particulate minerals. These sorts of questions are not addressed by EN ISO 20471:2013. The washing requirements of the standard have two aims, to determine if fabric used in the garment is dimensionally stable and whether it maintains a prescribed colouration after multiple cleaning cycles. The testing defined by the standard serves as a screening test for the suitability of materials; the testing does not predict how materials will behave in actual use.
The effectiveness of soil removal from high visibility garments is something that can be assessed after carrying out a soiling trial, whereby soiling compounds that might be encountered under particular situations of use can be applied to a garment. The effectiveness of removal can then be assessed by carrying out a prescribed cleaning protocol in accordance with a recognised standard, such as ISO 6330:2012. In carrying out a washing trial on a finished garment, as opposed to just a garment fabric or component, multiple facets of an article can be assessed. Variations in washing conditions may lead to conclusions that soiling removal is more effective with one set of washing conditions than another, or perhaps, in some instances, the longevity of a garment might be extended by specifying the use of a less vigorous set of washing conditions.
The after care of high visibility garments is an important component of their supply: the replacement cycle for a garment is simply based on retained visibility performance after washing alone, rather than a consideration of washing, soiling, and wear. The intended useful life of a garment is defined by the number of times that a garment was washed during testing, which, as indicated, does not present the whole story of how a garment performs. Additionally, the washing specified for a high visibility garment is based on the performance of its component fabric and retro-reflective parts. However, as garment damage can come in many forms a decision to replace a garment is left at the discretion of the end user, with the manufacturer’s user instruction advising that the article be replaced if it appears to be irreparably damaged or marred. As it can be difficult for an end user to determine the condition of retro-reflective tape, manufacturers will often ensure that retro-reflective tape is used that is likely to be more durable than coloured background material.
When considering the procurement of high visibility garments, over and above the usual fit and style requirements, it is important to see that a garment indicates on its label or user instructions the requirements for its after care. A high visibility garment should have a CE mark approval symbol and also a vest pictogram and details of the standard and classification that it has been given. The classification of a garment is important when selecting an item for use, some agencies require personnel to wear specific classes of garments for particular situations; for example, the highest class of clothing is worn on high speed roads.
Finally, the standard EN ISO 20471:2013 permits the use of three defined high visibility fluorescent colours – yellow, orange-red, and red. The use of anyone of these colours in the general work environment should follow a risk assessment – the colour selected for use must offer the best contrast between a wearer and the environment in which they work.01536 410000jonathan@satra.co.uk
