What Does
Class 2 High-Visibility Apparel Mean?
Class 2 high-visibility apparel is a category of safety clothing that increases the visibility of the wearer in both daytime and nighttime conditions. This is typically achieved through the use of fabric that has bright, high-visibility coloring (e.g. fluorescent yellow, green, or orange fabric), as well as through the use of retroreflective strips.
Apparel classified as Class 2 must meet specific design standards laid out under ANSI/ISEA 107-2015, which describes the high-visibility apparel standards that are recognized by U.S. occupational safety authorities. Therefore, when used correctly, Class 2 apparel is recognized by OSHA and the Federal Highway Safety Administration (FHSA) as a way for employers and employees to meet the minimum visibility requirements necessary to comply with applicable safe workplace regulations. Workers who make use of Class 2 apparel include, but are not limited to, roadway construction workers and crossing guards.
Safeopedia Explains Class 2 High-Visibility Apparel
The two other primary apparel performance classes are Class 1 and Class 3. Class 3 provides a higher level of visibility than Class 2 apparel does, and it is necessary in situations where the visual environment is complex enough or the risks of the work environment are otherwise high enough that the use of Class 2 is not sufficient to acceptably lower a worker's risk of being struck by a vehicle.
Under the ANSI/ISEA standard, Class 2 apparel may be classified as either Type R or Type P apparel. Type R apparel is suitable for workers doing routine work in roadway situations. Type P apparel is used by public safety workers such as emergency responders, firefighters, and other acute incident response personnel whose duties may make it practical for them to wear apparel that cannot fit within the Type R classification. Class 2 apparel may also be combined with apparel of the supplemental Class E category to be deemed as providing a combined Class 3 level of visibility enhancement.
The ANSI standard distinguishes Type R and Type P Class 2 apparel based on the amount of high-visibility background fabric that is required to offset the retroreflective material that is affixed to the garment. Type R apparel must have 775 square inches of background fabric, while Type P apparel only requires 450 square inches of background fabric.