How to Choose a Reflective Safety Vest

There are many different types of safety vests available, so choosing the right one can be confusing.

However, keeping a few basic things in mind can make the process much easier. The following is a list of different ways you can choose a reflective safety vest that's right for you. Choose by ANSI (American National Standards Institute) Class There are three different classes of safety vest. Class 1 vests are for the lowest risk level while class 3 vests are for the highest, with class 2 somewhere in between. If you are in a situation where traffic is traveling less than 25 miles per hour and you are a safe distance from roadways, a class 1 vest would be appropriate. On the other hand, if you working near roadways with traffic traveling in excess of 50 miles per hour or are working in blizzard conditions, a class 3 vest would be appropriate. Choose by Vest Type Safety vests come in a surprisingly wide variety including incident command vests, flame resistant vests, public safety vests, non-rated safety vests, economy vests, and surveyor vests, in addition to ANSI-rated class 1 through 3 vests. Vests are also available with pockets for custom laminated inserts and with personalized screen printing. Choose by Job Type Certain jobs require specific vests. For instance, emergency personnel and tow truck operators require a class 3 ANSI-rated vest while a construction worker doing sidewalk repair in a quiet residential neighborhood would only need a class 1 vest. There are many different types of jobs requiring class 2 vests such as crossing guards, survey crews, and airport baggage handlers. Keep in mind safety vests also vary in size, with class 1 vests being the smallest and class 3 being the largest (covering the most area) for best visibility. Keeping these methods in mind, you'll be able to choose the vest that's right for you.

Categories: SAFETY VESTS

Posted On: February 13 2019

Posted By: SGO

3 Comments

gus white

January 21 2020 at 11:14 am

I didn't know before that different job types can mean that they require different types of vests. We have been talking about getting safety vests for our employees, and it will be important for us to know that we could find the best ones. When we look for some, I will be sure to consider their different vest types, so we could choose the right ones.

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Corey Webb

March 17 2020 at 6:32 am

You have explained in great detail how to choose a safety vest. Your writing is very interesting and it is fun to read your article. I am also the way that you have presented this article. Your article is brief, informative and very detailed. Thank you.

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Adam Golightly

February 1 2021 at 5:41 pm

I can see how a business could really benefit from getting the right safety equipment to protect their employees while working with equipment. Making sure that they can get some help from a professional could allow them to be more effective. I liked what you said about how some vests can have different resistances to fire, economy, surveyor, and public safety vests.

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