Tagged with 'high visibility apparel'

You're driving down the highway and off to the side of the road you see workers. They might be building a new exit ramp, installing signage or even cleaning up trash along the roadside. One thing that's for sure is they'l be wearing a bright colored high visibility vest or clothing of some sort.
 
When we see those high visibility vests, often called hi vis vests, we naturally think of construction or road workers. While working on a high rise building or next to speeding traffic, we expect to see workers wearing them because they create awareness, raise visibility and improve safety - it's common sense. However, there are also a lot of other situations where hi vis vests are used on a daily basis for the same reasons. Behind the scenes, hundreds of thousands of workers each day are adorned in bright colored reflective safety apparel that helps them perform their job duties while putting them at a lower risk for accidents and injuries.
 
At first thought, you might not even be able to name a handful of jobs where hi vis vests and safety gear is used; and since there are so many, we've created a list to help you understand just how important their role is in protecting workers and preventing accidents. While there's too many to list entirely, here's a small sample of the various jobs where they're utilized.
 
warehouse workers
delivery truck drivers
roadway construction workers
utility workers
surveyors
emergency responders
flaggers
shopping cart retrieversrefinery personnel
messengers
utility workers
loggers
heavy equipment operators
general laborers
fisherman
offshore rig workers
oil workers
firefighters
miners
seamen
divers
ironworkers
railroad workers
emergency response personnel
rescue workers
geologists
policemen
hunters
shipbuilders
salvage workers
foundry workers
crossing guards
racetrack personnel
factory workers
hazardous material handlers
lifeguards
jockeys
security guards
firearms instructors
….and many, many more!
 
Any place where you can find a hazardous condition, heavy machinery, chemicals, dangerous landscapes, motorists, low-light conditions, extreme weather or moving parts, you can expect to see some sort of high visibility clothing on any workers who are in the area.
 
High visibility safety vests and apparel help to drastically reduce incidents, accidents and injuries that occur because of large objects, obstructed vision and other similar situations. The list above is only a small sample of occupations where hi vis gear is utilized, yet the uses are practically endless. Whether you're an employer or an employee, high visibility clothing and apparel could play a critical part in the well being of yourself or your business. If your workplace can benefit from mandating the use of high visibility apparel, consider adopting a plan that will be beneficial to everyone. Sit down with your employer, or call a meeting with your employees and discuss the safety benefits that hi vis clothing might be able to offer to individuals and your company.
 
For more information, product advice or to simply browse our inventory to familiarize yourself with the different types of high visibility safety gear, visit our website today at www.HiVisSupply.com

It's all too common these days, and the media does the issue no justice to make light of it by attaching a funny or ironic headline. A 27-year-old highway construction worker was killed when police say he was trying to put up road safety signs for an expansion of a Texas highway.

 

No mention was made as to whether he was wearing the proper hi-visibility attire, including hi-vis vest, high visibility apparel or garments, reflectors or any other hi visibility gear - which usually means that he was. otherwise, they'd be having a field day with that fact also. As of yet, the only good news seems to be that there was no error of his own - just a fatal accident.

 

The accident happened around 8:30 in the morning in Conroe, Texas on Saturday, October 27th, off of the I-45 feeder road near State Highway 105. Police say a Williams Brothers construction truck was pulling an 18-foot trailer loaded with highway safety signs. The truck was stopped in the left lane just south of the exit ramp from I-45. A highway road worker, Joel Vega, was putting temporary caution signs along the roadside for drivers before their work began. But Kimberly Vick, 39, traveling southbound on the feeder, also on the left lane, struck the trailer, flipping it.

 

Investigators believe Vega was between the truck and trailer when the accident happened. Unfortunately, Vega was pronounced dead on the scene by police. They're now trying to figure out if the driver was able to see the caution arrows on top of the truck.

 

As of yet, no cause of the accident has been determined. Vick was transported to Conroe Regional Medical Center. It is “too early to tell” if charges will be filed against Vick, Conroe Police Sgt. Joe Smart said, and the case is under investigation. No citations have been issued in the wreck.

 

OSHA has opened an investigation with Williams Brothers, which on its website counts TxDOT as its principal client, OSHA spokesman Juan Rodriguez said Monday. The investigation is ongoing.

 

Officials with Williams Brothers were unavailable for comment.
Brilliant Series Breakaway
Class 2 Vest
The Brilliant Series breakaway vests, from ML Kishigo, offer both increased visibility and protection from entanglement. In addition to the 5-point breakaway design, high visibility background material and the 2" wide reflective tape, the vest also utilizes Brilliant Trim reflective edging which considerably improves the vest's low light visibility. The reflective piping improves recognition of the wearer by distinguishing their silhouette from the other stationary objects around them in a work zone. The vest is constructed of a durable and breathable, Ultra-Cool 100% polyester mesh. Vest features include: zipper closure; mic tabs on chest; inside 2-tier, 4-division pencil pocket; flapped radio pocket; and inside left patch pocket.

 

ANSI/ISEA 107 Class 2 compliant.

Safety is an important issue for everyone, but an often overlooked occupation where workers put their lives on the line every day - well, one every school day - is the often un-noticed, and under-appreciated, school crossing guard.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) defines a crossing guard as someone who directs traffic (both pedestrian and vehicular) on streets, at schools, and at railroad crossings and construction sites. In 2007, there were an estimated 70,000 school crossing guards employed nationally, and in the years between 1993 to 2006, there were 97 school crossing guard fatalities, or almost 7 a year. This may not seem like a lot of deaths, but these men and women put their lives on the line each day to keep our children safe.

Additionally, the state of Florida reports that in 2006, 39% of all 16 and under pedestrian fatalities occurred between 3 and 7 pm. Of the 516 fatalities, 104, or (20%) were pedestrians - usually children. In an effort to lower these numbers, the state trains crossing guards to:
• Use proper crossing techniques consistently
• Encourage patterns of proper crossing behavior by students
• Deter students from committing unsafe/unlawful acts
• Recognize and report hazardous conditions
• Take proper actions in an emergency
• Know their responsibilities and limitations of authority
• Exhibit professionalism and instill confidence
• Earn students’ respect

In a New Jersey report, other factors attributing to motor-vehicle related injuries include among school crossing guards include:
• Unsafe driving
• Parents rushing to and through the school zone
• Distracted driving including cell phones, eating, drinking and smoking

As parents, let's respect school crossing guards, the men and women who serve our children every day and make sure they get to cross the street safely. As drivers, let's start paying attention to school zones, and wait to send that text message, or wait to eat the fast food when we get home.

At HiVis Supply, we are proud to resell high visibility apparel including incident command vests, safety vests, and traffic vests, as well as traffic safety accessories and ANSI compliant vests for crossing guards, pedestrian crossing and speed limit signs.

Highway crews routinely work in hazardous conditions, near construction vehicles and motor vehicle traffic. Flaggers and other workers on foot are exposed to the risk of being struck by traffic vehicles or construction equipment if they are not visible to motorists or equipment operators. Drivers who operate construction vehicles or equipment risk collision, rolling, and being caught in running equipment. Regardless of their assigned job, lighting can be poor with low visibility and bad weather, and exposure to high traffic congestion and speeds is imminent.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHA) has developed and maintained the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which provides for uniform design and setup of highway work zones. The primary focus of Part 6 of the MUTCD is the interaction between the road user and the work zone. The MUTCD contains exhaustive specifications for signage, pavement and curb markings, traffic signals, and marking of school zones, bicycle facilities and highway-rail crossings. It outlines temporary traffic control measures for lane closures and shifts, detours, shoulder work, median crossovers, mobile operations, and blasting. The MUTCD also addresses topics such as training, personal protective equipment (PPE), speed reduction, barriers, and lighting, as they apply to highway construction. It also provides for uniform design and setup of highway work zones, and includes guidance for the development of temporary traffic control plans (TCPs) that determine the flow of traffic through work zones.

OSHA construction industry regulations address operation of vehicles and equipment within an off-highway job site not open to public traffic. It does cover types of machinery and safety equipment, but it does not address work practices, traffic control plans, or shift work. Flagging and signaling practices are discussed in general which also covers signs, signals, and barricades.

Compliance with the MUTCD and OSHA regulations is a necessary first step in providing a safe work environment, but lacks comprehensive guidance to ensure worker safety in highway work zones. To help identify these gaps in standards and regulations and to compile additional prevention measures to enhance worker safety, NIOSH undertook a comprehensive review of scientific literature, fatality and injury data, and current safety research.

Between OSHA, MUTCD and NIOSH standards and guidelines, a properly defensed workzone can often seem a daunting task. At HiVis Supply, we offer high visibility apparel and safety vests for the worker and traffic control devices for the workzone that can ensure a safe environment for those men and women paving the way for us all.

 

 


 

The 350 Pro Series Parka has seam sealed construction with thermal insulation for added warmth. The parka features 2" 3M brand silver reflective tape. The storm cuff keeps wind and snow out of critical areas. Also includes a hidden collar hood and adjustable cuffs. Pockets: two outside lower slash pockets with zippers and storm flaps; one outside upper radio pocket; one hidden inside wallet pocket with storm flap; and on inside general pupose pocket. Parkas are available in both high visibility lime (9662) and orange (9663), in sizes M-5XL. ANSI/ISEA 107 Class 3 compliant.

By choosing a vest which is above what is generally necessary, you will ensure the safety of your employees and help to make them as secure in their job as possible. Even an ANSI class 3 surveyors vest can provide you with an abundance of visibility, typically with some additional options that will rate them for breakaway material.

The need for a safety ANSI class 2 vest for their job would include individuals who are working when the weather conditions are poor and visibility may be low. These are also generally preferred for when traffic near the worker will exceed 25 mph. Some of the most popular professions which use these types of vests would include airport ground workers, law enforcement officials, railroad workers and crossing guards.

 






The rule for federal aid highways states that “all workers within the right-of-way of a Federal-aid highway who are exposed either to traffic (vehicles using the highway for purposes of travel) or to construction equipment within the work area shall wear high-visibility safety apparel."

HiVis Supply is a reseller of high visibility apparel including ANSI approved clothing, safety vests, traffic vests, hivis vests, ANSI Class 2, ANSI Class 3, ANSI 107-2004, ANSI 207, ANSI Class E, public safety vests. Visit our store for all of your high visibility apparel needs