November/December 2007 - Cover Story

It wasn’t long ago that State Highway Administration (SHA) workers in Maryland could be observed along the road wearing orange vests over garments that usually did not comply with safety standards issued by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). While these vests provided the minimum Class 2 protection, the non-ANSI garments – primarily orange T-shirts – were fading, and provided little visibility benefit.

With the goal of having workers in compliance and dressed to be as visible as possible from the time they leave their home for work until the time they return, SHA considered how it could improve worker visibility through its apparel program. Today, you’re more likely to see SHA workers, and they’ll be wearing fl uorescent yellowgreen T-shirts or, in cooler weather, a fluorescent yellow-green jacket marked with large, refl ective strips on the arms, chest and back. It won’t matter if it’s day or night – they’ll stand out in contrast to a surrounding environment of orange cones and signs.

By incorporating high-visibility materials into primary apparel and offering choices to workers, the Maryland SHA is helping to ensure that its workers are in conformance with today's ANSI recommended high-visibility apparel standards, such as ANSI/ISEA 107-2004, which will become mandatory for federal highway workers next November.

SHA offi cials met with visibility experts at 3M to develop a proposal that addressed both the requirements of the more stringent safety legislation on the horizon and the specifi c needs of the maintenance workers in Maryland. A number of apparel options were evaluated by looking at fabrics, background colors, and a full spectrum of refl ective materials available. Customized specifi cations were then developed so that production could be bid out to different manufacturers.

"Since adopting high-visibility primary apparel in 2005, we've seen dramatic improvements in how workers are dressed and how much more visible they are, versus when they simply were asked to don a vest over non-compliance garments," says Samuel P. Hall, SHA Safety Management Consultant. "Now we're going into the fi eld to continuously evaluate our apparel needs and any changes we need to put into place."

It's not high-vis unless they wear it
There is a practical aspect to the new ANSI standards that can't be overlooked: The best high-visibility apparel standards in the world won't protect workers a bit-unless they actually wear the garments. That's

why suppliers like Dickies are constantly working to make sure workers wear their high-vis gear because they want to, not just because they have to. That means more emphasis on comfortable primary apparel that workers wear next to their skin rather than secondary garments, like a vest, that they may put on over top of another garment.

"These garments have to be 100% polyester to maintain colorfastness, but most 100% polyester garments, you wouldn't want next to your body," says Melanie Moberly, assistant general manager-workwear for Dickies. The new line of high-vis workwear her company just introduced is 100% polyester, but the fabric is brushed to give it a softer feel. "They have a cottony hand," says Moberly. "You wouldn't even know it's polyester."

Keeping high-vis gear clean is another high priority. When these garments get dirty, they tend to lose some of their visibility, but workers are also less likely to put them on. That's why most of the items in Dickies' new line feature moisture wicking and soil release, with some items certifi ed for home washing, and some for industrial laundering. "By helping to keep the garments clean and dry," Moberly says, "we're actually helping to maintain their high-visibility properties."

"Why have a second layer, like a vest, that creates discomfort, and the worker takes it off because it's hot or wet?" adds Cory Erickson, market development manager for 3M Visibility and Insulation Solutions. "If we add refl ective material to primary workwear and make those garments compliant, the chances of the worker wearing the garment and being compliant are much higher. There's a real safety benefi t in that way."

Another factor in worker comfort is the ability of the refl ective trim to breathe- a key feature of 3M's new Comfort Trim. "We want the trim to breathe the same as the background fabric breathes," Erickson says. "We measure that by the amount of moisture vapor transmitted [through the trim]. Our Comfort Trim transmits significantly more vapor than a solid trim. That means heat and moisture don't get trapped behind the trim, so it acts more like the background fabric in the garment."