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Are you the leader of a team working on a large-scale project? When it comes to managing contractors for a sizeable development, you&#;ll want everyone to look the part as well as feel protected in workwear that will help them do the job. That&#;s why there are some key questions to ask when purchasing uniforms from a workwear supplier. Before you jump the gun and make a purchase you may regret, here are some key things to think about in order to ensure you make the right investment to suit yours and your team&#;s needs.
First and foremost, it&#;s important to know just how much funding you have to spare before you put in your order. Try to determine how much you&#;re willing to pay per head for your staff and make sure you&#;ve discussed this with your finance department. Once you&#;ve done this, you&#;ll be able to provide a starting point for your supplier to determine what items they have available that&#;ll suit your needs and well as your budget.
In order to make a purchase that&#;s well informed and will provide a good return on investment, you&#;ll need to consider what workwear will suit your particular project based on your unique industry. There&#;s no use investing in short sleeved summer work shirts if staff will need to face harsh weather conditions inherent in your line of work so be sure to consider the right items of clothing for your industry and project type.
While you may have a certain number of employees working on a particular project, some suppliers offer cheaper prices for uniforms when bought in bulk. This can be a great solution for business to business, you&#;re sure that more staff may work for you in future or if the uniforms will experience duress due to the job and need replacing. If so, be sure to also purchase a variety of sizes so that future staff will have something available that will fit.
There&#;s nothing that boosts morale on a project more than a sense of belonging and pride in the work being done. While adding custom art or logos to a uniform may come at an extra cost, it can be a great opportunity to show your team that you&#;ve taken the time to make them feel like part of something greater. Showing your appreciation with custom art and logos may even encourage your staff to go the extra mile whenever they&#;re onsite.
When it comes to workwear that goes the distance, our team of workwear experts will help you curate the perfect uniform from our wide product range, that will offer your staff protection, visibility and a sense of pride in their work. We cater for businesses of any size so, get in touch with the team today to discuss your unique project and we&#;ll help get you started. Call (SA) 08 , (WA) 08 or us at
*Disclaimer*
The information contained on this page is for promotional and informational purposes only. All equipment should be used by trained professional tradesmen who have been trained how to use the equipment described on this page, and understand the risks of their work. PowerPak assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the use or misuse of any product purchased. In no event shall PowerPak be liable for any direct, special, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other torts, arising out of or in connection with the use of this information or the contents of this page. PowerPak reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modifications to the contents on this page at any time without prior notice.
If you know what you need, safety vests are very straightforward, but without all the information, you&#;ll pay for the wrong vest. They may seem all the same, but Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) enforcement will tell you otherwise. ANSI (American National Standards Institute) breaks down safety vests into types and classes to help narrow your search (ANSI/ISEA 107-).
Let's dive in.
There are three different classes of safety vest, each geared towards specific situations. As with almost every safety situation, there is nothing wrong with opting for a vest that is a higher class than the minimum requirements for the work zone.
Safety vests are categorized into 3 &#;types,&#; and each type splits into 3 &#;classes.&#;
Type O &#; Safety vests intended for Non-Roadway occupational use. Type O only has class 1 safety vests.
Type R - Safety vests intended for Roadway occupational use. Type R has both class 2 and class 3 safety vests.
Type P &#; Safety vests for law enforcement and first responders. Type P has both class 2 and class 3 safety vests.
For this article, we will mainly focus on Type O and Type R safety vests. This &#;type and class&#; system is not just for vests but for all HVSA (High Visibility Safety Apparel) such as hi-vis pants, hi-vis jumpsuits, jackets, etc.
ANSI updated its documentation defining all things safety apparel in (ANSI/ISEA 107-)
This one is simple. Class 1 is the only HVSA Type O safety vest and has the lowest required amount of high-visibility material.
Class 1 Safety Vests are for the lowest-risk areas. It could be situations where you are working a safe distance from the active roadway, but there is still potential for an incident. They have a safety yellow or safety orange background, and a minimum of 155 square inches of reflective strips. They are lightweight and sleeveless.
Class 1 safety vests are for work conditions without vehicles traveling at highway speeds. It could be where traffic is traveling no faster than 25 miles per hour. The ANSI documentation also states that the background of the worksite should not be visually complex.
Class 2 (Type R) HSVA safety vests have bumped up requirements. Like Class 1 (Type O), these vests are usually sleeveless.
The industry rule of thumb is to require these vests on worksites where traffic flow is 25mph &#; 50mph. These safety vests are more noticeable during the day or night at greater distances when compared to class 1 safety vests.
Class 2 Safety Vests are larger than Class 1 vests, Class 2 vests incorporate a specific amount of background material into the mix. To be a Class 2 vest, it must have no less than 775 square inches of safety yellow or safety orange background material to it. There must also be no less than 201 square inches of reflective (Reflective or Combined-Performance Materials) striping across the vest. These are required for roadway and traffic zones where traffic is moving no faster than 50 miles per hour.
Want more information on wholesale safety vest? Feel free to contact us.
PowerPak offers many options for those in need of class 2 safety vests.
Class 3 (Type R) HSVA safety vests have the highest material requirements compared to Class 1 and 2. The industry rule of thumb is worksites with traffic traveling over 50 mph should require Class 3 safety vests.
Class 3 Safety Vests are for the most hazardous environments where visibility is paramount. Class 3 vest provides the most background material and the most retroreflective striping. In many cases, these vests have sleeves. These vests must have, at minimum, 1,240 square inches of safety yellow or safety orange background, and at least 310 square inches of reflective striping.
If you&#;re in need of class 3 safety vests quickly, PowerPak offers a wide range of options.
As mentioned, all ANSI classes of safety vests must have minimum amounts of TWO types of material. Background material and retroreflective material/combined performance material.
Background material and retroreflective material/combined performance material. Background material is fluorescent colored fabric, usually safety orange or safety yellow. It&#;s the brightly colored mesh or fabric you think of when thinking of safety vests. This material is highly visible during the day.
Retro reflective material is the striping you see on safety vests. People often confuse the term retro reflective and reflective, but they are different, and they perform differently.
When light hits something reflective, like a mirror, at an angle, that light bounces off in the opposite direction. Retroreflective reflects the light directly back towards the light source. This material is highly visible at night with direction lights, such as car headlights. You&#;ll often find retroreflective tape in silver, white, and gray.
All these materials are required to meet various ANSI standards.
A vest may have Combined-Performance material in place of retroreflective tape. Combined-performance materials/tapes have retroreflective properties and meet the fluorescent requirements of background material. Some vests have combined-performance striping that matches the background material giving the best daytime visibility without sacrificing nighttime visibility.
Although OSHA has no specific guidelines on vest colors, some colors work better in certain environments than others. Orange vests are ideal for settings with a lot of vegetation, a blue sky or yellow sunlight. Orange-colored vests also work well in wide-open areas, particularly in the daytime.
Yellow safety vests are perfect for night work when sunlight is minimal because fluorescent yellow is more noticeable from a distance against a dark background. Yellow vests are common among construction workers, emergency responders and utility repair people.
The general rule of thumb is to choose the most noticeable color for each specific environment. Learn more about safety vest colors here.
Depending on the supplier, vests can range anywhere from a few dollars for simple designs to several hundred dollars for products with reflective tape and multiple features. Because they have the fewest amount of safety material, Class 1 vests are typically the least expensive. As the material requirements increase, the prices generally become more expensive.
Flame and tear-resistant vests usually cost much more than those without extra durability features.
Safety vests of any class or type can come with several features, and many worksites will require some of these options. Flame-Resistance: ANSI offers manufacturers the option of six different flame-resistant standards for rating safety vests. The test method is on the vest label.
Understanding the classes is one thing, but you&#;ll also need to consider the specifics of your worksite when it comes to choosing the best class-rated vest for your team members. Remember, there&#;s nothing wrong with going with a Class 3 Vest for every site &#; greater visibility is never a bad thing.
Consider the general visibility at your work site, how far from high-speed traffic your workers will be, and if there are physical barriers between the workers and traffic. A Class 2 vest is perfect for utility operations and volunteer work, but not good enough for flagging operations. A Class 3 vest is necessary for incident response, particularly at night, but is overkill for a landscaper. A Class 1 vest is never good enough to be worn within the right-of-way of a high-speed highway.
You should also opt for color that differentiates the worker from the environment. Safety yellow isn&#;t going to stick out against a bright yellow or light green environment, just as safety orange won&#;t stick out as much in a sand or desert environment.
One thing to note, as with all personal protective equipment, proper maintenance is important. The reflective qualities of the vests can diminish over time &#; sun can fade them, they can get dirty, and the reflective material can rub away through heavy use. Most daily-wear vests have a service life of six months or so, while moderate use could last up to three years. If a vest is torn, dirty, soiled, worn or faded, it must be replaced before going on-site.
While the appropriate class-rated vests are a great start for visibility on the work site, and cover the individual, there is so much more you can do to protect your workers in traffic-heavy work zones.
Work zone safety is paramount to us here at PowerPak, and our team members are standing by to help you find the most efficient and cost-effective solution to preventing incidents stemming from poor visibility on your work site. Contact our team, they are here to help keep you and your team members safe and sound!
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