Publication Details
Title: Visibility on the Road: Reflective Uniforms Enhance Worker Safety
Author/Presenter: LaFrance, Janice
Abstract: In motorist studies of accidents involving workers or pedestrians hit by motorists at night, seven out of eight drivers said they had difficulty seeing the worker or pedestrian. Brief statistics on transportation incidents from the Bureau of Labor Statistics follow. These accidents are costly in terms of lives, lost productivity and accident liabilities and may be prevented by measures to increase worker visibility. This article briefly describes how retroreflective materials work and may be applied to worker uniforms to make them more visible. The efforts of Waste Management, Inc. and the Minnesota Department of Transportation to incorporate retroreflective materials into their employees' uniforms are described. Waste Management, Inc. is the country's largest solid waste management company and has worked with a retroreflective materials manufacturer to develop a comfortable and durable uniform which it now requires its employees to wear. Minnesota DOT previously required highway workers to wear retroreflective material with a nighttime visibility of 1000 feet but realized this level of protection was inadequate to prevent injury or death. They developed two-piece test garments "to emphasize the human element within a work zone and to provide greater visibility at a distance." The uniforms combine fluorescent yellow material and orange vertical and horizontal stripes with retroreflective material. Motorist have reported that garments provide improved visibility.
Publisher: 3M Personal Safety Products
Publication Date: 1998
Number of Pages: 4
Notes: The clearinghouse has a copy of this item.
