Reflective Materials Used In Professional Clothing

While Reflective fabric used in high visibility clothing was once considered to be helpful (but very much options), a number of governmental agencies within the United States and abroad have made it a requirement in a variety of professional environments. Reflective material such as safety vests and sew on reflective tape for clothing are now considered standard pieces of equipment and required uniform for industries such as law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services, land survey, road construction, marine operations and various utility services. The reflective tape and material used on these vests is carefully designed to maximize visibility in daytime as well as low light conditions that includes poor weather or other variables that inhibit visibility.

Reflective Material in History

Professional workers were first introduced to the modern reflective vest as we know it in the late 60's and 1970's where they features sew on reflective tape for clothing. As traffic began to increase in major metropolitan areas, and rural towns began to thrive, regulators began to discuss mandates for reflective vest use to minimize injury and death in environments where injury is more likely to occur due to visibility issues. Today, the United States alone has a number of regulations, down to the state level, that require workers in various professions to wear vests meeting specific criteria when working on federal and state funded highways.


Types of Vests using Reflective Material

The most common type of vest is a sleeveless vest worn over existing clothing. The common vest features reflective material in a variety of positions including over the shoulders and around the torso to offer up to 360 degrees of visibility. To improve visible distance, the amount of fabric can be increased to include more sew on reflective tape for clothing, sleeves and more length. For high traffic situations where a class 3 vest is required, this additional reflective material is a must.

A fluorescent backing material, which is a mesh blend of polyester and nylon, is generally used in the manufacturing of reflective safety vests. Placed over the backing material is the sew on reflective tape which is made from PVC. Then, either glass beads or microprism technology can be used to maximize visibility. Fluorescent material operates in daytime situations but does not operate in low light or complete darkness. Retroreflective tape is used in low light conditions since it can reflect light back to the source. With both of these designs available, workers can be safe regardless of the time of day or overriding condition.

Classifications of Reflective Materials

ANSI standards are used to figure out how much reflective material must be used to meet specific class requirements for reflective vests. There are three classes for safety vests: Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3. Class 1 offers minimal protection while Class 3 offers the highest visibility. Class 3 clothing is a standard requirement for professions in highway construction, road crews, law enforcement and rescue crews in high traffic areas. Currently, there are no regulations for recreational clothing that has reflective materials.