What is the Requirement?
On November 24, 2008, a new federal regulation, 23CFR634, went into effect mandating that anyone working in the right-of-way of a federal-aid highway must wear High Visibility Vests.
Part 634 states: "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."
But who are workers? According to Part 634 - "Workers means people on foot whose duties place them within the right-of-way of a Federal-aid highway, such as highway construction and maintenance forces; survey crews; utility crews; responders to incidents within the highway right-of-way; firefighters and other emergency responders when they are not directly exposed to flame, fire, heat, and/or hazardous materials; and law enforcement personnel when directing traffic, investigating crashes, and handling lane closures, obstructed roadways, and disasters within the right-of-way of a Federal-aid highway."
Working Factors to Consider
Consider these factors when determining what type of clothing is needed:
Speed and volume of traffic through workzone.
Time of day - there is less visibility at night.
Workzone activity - are there lots of construction vehicles and all kinds of work being done?
Type of activity worker is performing - Is worker focused on task at hand or watching oncoming traffic?
Proximity to traffic and other construction vehicles.
High Visibility Classes What do they Mean?
High Visibility Clothing must meet ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standards and comes in 3 types- class 1, class 2 or class 3 garments. Class 1 provides the least level of visibility and class 3 provides the greatest amount of fluorescent and reflective material.
Hari Kalla from the Federal Highway Administration offers the following suggestions:
High Visibility for Police and Firefighters
Policemen and firefighters are required to wear high visibility clothing in certain situations. Policemen are not required to wear high visibility clothing in "adversarial or confrontational" roles. This gives them the ability to protect themselves (for example, by pulling a weapon) during traffic stops and searches. However, police officers must wear high visibility clothing when directing traffic, investigating crashes and handling lane closures.
Firefighters failed to ask for any exemptions prior to the November effective date. Afterwards, they became concerned that if they wore high visibility clothing over their turnouts this might put them at added risk during a fire. Effective July 15, 2009, firefighters are exempt from wearing Protective Safety vest when exposed to hazardous conditions where the use of such apparel may increase the risk of injury to the firefighter.
Whether you're a firefighter, a police officer, a construction worker, a surveyor or crossing school guard, wear high visibility apparel so you are able to be seen by road traffic. Don't be one of the 100 workers killed in a work zone every year!
Contact us at :-
Safety Vests
Phone No- 09 394 7555
59B ASH ROAD, WIRI, Auckland, 2241,New Zealand
https://www.safetyvests.co.nz/