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High-Visibility Clothing Guide

Last updated on Jul 29, 2025

High-visibility clothing is essential safety gear designed to make workers visible in hazardous environments, particularly low-light or high-traffic areas. For construction and industrial operators, selecting the right high-visibility apparel is a critical investment in industrial safety and workforce satisfaction. Below, we explain high-visibility clothing's performance classes, key garment types, and the crucial features you may want to consider before purchasing. By understanding these elements, you can confidently outfit your team with optimal protection, fostering a safer, more productive worksite.


Shop All High-Visibility Clothing

Use the following links to learn more about the different aspects of high-visibility clothing:

  1. What Is High-Visibility Clothing?
  2. ANSI Class
  3. High-Visibility Clothing Types
  4. High-Visibility Clothing Features

What Is High-Visibility Clothing?

High-visibility clothing is specialized personal protective equipment (PPE) designed to maximize worker detectability in challenging environments like industrial plants, construction sites, and busy warehouses. It utilizes intensely fluorescent materials for standout contrast against complex backgrounds during daylight. This material is combined with retroreflective tape that reflects light back to its source in low-light or nighttime conditions. Engineered to meet stringent safety standards, this essential gear dramatically reduces the risk of struck-by accidents by ensuring personnel are seen by equipment operators, drivers, and fellow workers, even amidst machinery, traffic, or poor visibility.

Who Uses High-Visibility Clothing?

High-visibility apparel is indispensable across numerous sectors where worker presence near moving vehicles, equipment, or low-visibility hazards is a daily reality. Providing the correct ANSI-classed high-visibility garments is a critical investment for businesses managing these key roles:

Who Uses High-Visibility Clothing?
  • Construction Workers: Laborers, operators, and supervisors on active sites require high-visibility clothing to stand out against diverse backgrounds and be clearly seen by crane, forklift, and heavy equipment operators amidst constant movement and dust.
  • Warehouse & Logistics Personnel: Forklift drivers, pickers, packers, and dock workers need high-visibility clothing to enhance visibility in busy aisles, loading bays, and yards, preventing collisions with vehicles and improving traffic flow efficiency.
  • Roadway & Infrastructure Crews: Flaggers, surveyors, and maintenance teams working near traffic depend on high-visibility clothing for maximum visibility day and night, protecting them from passing vehicles in high-risk zones.
  • Utility & Emergency Service Technicians: Linemen, telecom workers, and first responders wear high-visibility clothing for visibility during roadside repairs, emergency responses, and hazardous situations where rapid identification is crucial.
  • Airport Ground Staff: Baggage handlers, ramp agents, and marshals on active tarmacs rely on high-visibility clothing to be seen by pilots and vehicle operators in all weather conditions and lighting.

ANSI Class

Selecting the correct ANSI class of high-visibility apparel is fundamental for effective workplace safety compliance and accident prevention. The ANSI/ISEA 107 standard categorizes high-visibility garments into performance levels (Class 1, 2, 3, and E) based on the amount of fluorescent background material and retroreflective tape, directly correlating to the wearer's visibility and the environmental hazards present. Understanding these classes ensures you procure gear that adequately protects employees against specific site dangers like moving machinery, vehicle traffic, or low-light operations.

 ANSI Class
  • Class 1: Class 1 offers the minimum protection for low-risk environments with slow-moving vehicles and ample separation from traffic. This class is ideal for parking attendants, warehouse workers in designated pedestrian zones away from forklifts, or custodial staff in well-lit facilities with minimal vehicle interaction.
  • Class 2: Class 2 provides significantly enhanced visibility for moderate-risk settings with faster-moving traffic, larger vehicles, or complex backgrounds. They are essential for warehouse forklift operators, airport baggage handlers near aircraft, utility crews in non-roadside areas, and personnel in inclement weather or low-light conditions like dawn/dusk.
  • Class 3: Class 3 delivers the highest level of body visibility for high-risk, high-speed environments where workers are close to traffic or heavy machinery with limited sightlines. They are mandatory for roadway construction crews, emergency responders on active highways, railway workers, toll booth operators, and anyone working in darkness or severe weather near traffic exceeding 50 mph.
  • Class E: As a supplemental class consisting of high-visibility pants or shorts, Class E is designed to be worn with Class 2 or 3 garments to meet the full requirements of those classes. They are critical for achieving complete Class 3 compliance (combined with a Class 3 top), or enhancing Class 2 visibility for workers whose legs are a key visibility point near traffic or equipment, such as flaggers or surveyors.

High-Visibility Clothing Types

Beyond just meeting ANSI class requirements, choosing the correct type of high-visibility garment is important for worker comfort and meeting safety compliance across diverse industrial and warehouse settings. The right apparel directly impacts productivity by adapting to weather extremes and allowing unhindered movement by integrating seamlessly with other PPE.

 High Visibility Clothing Types
  • High-Visibility Vests: The most versatile and economical option, high-visibility vests offer core visibility over regular workwear. Easily donned and removed, they are ideal for fluctuating site access needs, temporary workers, or environments requiring quick changes.
  • High-Visibility Headwear: High-visibility headwear enhances visibility of the wearer's head and neck movement, crucial for signaling direction or attention. Often paired with other gear to boost overall visibility, especially in low-light scenarios. These items are highly convenient for flaggers, surveyors, spotters, or any role where head movement is a primary communication method near heavy equipment.
  • High-Visibility Jackets: High-visibility jackets provide full upper-body visibility and critical weather protection while meeting high ANSI classes. This apparel is necessary for winter construction crews, logistics in inclement weather, and environments demanding maximum visibility and environmental resistance.
  • High-Visibility Shirts: Offering integrated visibility as primary workwear, high-visibility shirts provide compliance without needing overlays. These work shirts have breathable fabrics that enhance comfort for sustained wear in warmer operations, making them great for summer construction sites where vests may cause overheating.
  • High-Visibility Pants: High-visibility pants ensure legs are clearly seen, especially during bending or kneeling tasks. They are mandatory for roadway workers, railway crews, airport tarmac staff, and any role where leg position is vital for safety near moving vehicles or machinery.
  • High-Visibility Sweatshirts: An excellent mid-layer option for thermal regulation while maintaining compliance, high-visibility sweatshirts deliver warmth and visibility for cooler temperatures without the bulk of a jacket. Great for early morning/late shifts, cooler seasons in plants or warehouses, or as part of a layered system in variable conditions.

High-Visibility Clothing Features

While core visibility is paramount, the additional features incorporated into high-visibility garments deliver critical operational advantages in demanding settings. These enhancements directly impact worker productivity, garment longevity, comfort across shifts, and overall costs. Selecting high-visability apparel with the right combination of features ensures your investment not only meets safety standards but also withstands daily wear, improves task efficiency, and adapts to diverse worksite conditions.

 High Visibility Clothing Features
  • Reflective Stripe Configurations: Beyond standard tape, varied reflective striped patterns enhance 360 degree visibility from all angles, especially critical for workers near complex traffic flow or rotating machinery.
  • Customizable Options: Adding company branding, employee names, or job roles directly onto customizable high-visibility gear fosters team identity and streamlines on-site communication.
  • Machine Washable Durability: Garments engineered to withstand repeated industrial laundering without fading or reflective tape degradation ensure consistent performance and appearance. This slashes long-term costs by extending garment lifespan significantly compared to non-durable options, maintaining compliance longer.
  • Functional Pockets: Strategically placed secure pockets allow workers to carry essential tools, radios, phones, or documents hands-free directly at the task point. Productivity is boosted by eliminating trips to toolboxes and keeping critical items accessible and protected from loss or damage.
  • Integrated Hoods: Weather-resistant hoods attached to jackets or sweatshirts provide immediate protection from rain, wind, or cold without compromising head/neck visibility. This maintains worker comfort and focus during inclement weather, preventing downtime and ensuring continued ANSI compliance without separate gear.
  • Waterproof: Waterproof high-visibility clothing keeps workers dry and comfortable during wet operations or seasons, preventing hypothermia risks and maintaining core body temperature for sustained productivity. Coatings or laminations block rain and moisture while allowing sweat vapor to escape.
  • Insulation: Built-in insulated thermal layers provide essential warmth in cold storage, winter construction, or early/late shifts without adding bulky underlayers.
The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. Please refer to our Content Policy for more details.

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