Hi vis clothing, also known as high visibility or reflective clothing, is designed to make the wearer more visible in low light or hazardous conditions. It is often worn by workers in construction, transportation, and other industries where visibility is important for safety reasons. Hi-vis clothing typically includes items such as vests, jackets, and shirts that are made from bright, fluorescent colors and/or reflective materials. These materials reflect light, making the wearer more visible to other people, especially at night or in poor weather conditions. Hi vis clothing is often required by law for workers in certain industries. This is also commonly worn by joggers, cyclists, and other people who want to be more visible when they are outdoors.
Different colored hi vis vests may be worn in different situations to indicate the wearer’s role or to provide additional information to other people. For example, some common colors and their uses may be as below but always check with the correct source to confirm. For example, check the Health and Safety Executive website for a Government source to check.
- Orange or yellow: These colors are often used for general purpose hi vis clothing, and are intended to make the wearer highly visible in a range of environments.
- Green: Green hi vis clothing is often worn by emergency service workers, such as paramedics and firefighters.
- Blue: Blue hi vis clothing is often worn by police officers and security guards.
- Pink: Pink hi vis clothing is sometimes worn by children or women working in male-dominated industries, such as construction or transportation, in order to make them more easily identifiable.
- Red: Red hi vis clothing is often worn by workers who have a supervisory role or who need to be easily identifiable, such as traffic controllers or site foremen.
In addition to these colors, hi vis clothing may also have branding to provide further information about the wearer’s role or the nature of the work being performed. For example, a vest with the word “SECURITY” would be worn by a security guard.
