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According to Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Worker Visibility Final Rule, “All workers within the right-of-way of a Federal-aid highway who are exposed either to traffic (vehicles using the highway for purposes of travel) or to construction equipment within the work area shall wear high-visibility safety apparel.” “High-visibility safety apparel” is defined as any garment meeting the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 107-2004 Class 2 or 3 standard. For compliance in your area, check your state and local standards as they may be more strict than the national requirements.
Class 1 Apparel — Do Not Wear
- Provides minimum amount of required material.
- Apparel provides smaller amounts of material to make workers stand out from their background, which makes them less visible.
- Performance Class I apparel is not acceptable to wear within the right of way under the FHWA Worker Visibility Final Rule.
Class 2 Apparel — Required
- Required as a minimum for all workers within the right of way of a Federal-aid highway.
- Provides superior visibility over Class 1 apparel for wearers by the additional coverage of the chest and back.
- Helps protect workers exposed either to traffic or to construction equipment within the work area.
- Typical use on lower speed, lower volume, and secondary road environments.
Class 3 Apparel — Recommended
- Offers the greatest visibility to make the wearer stand out against a variety of backgrounds.
- Allows workers to be easily seen through a full range of body motions at a minimum of ¼ mile (1,280 feet).
- Additional background and reflective material on the apparel increases visibility beyond what is provided by Performance Class 2 apparel.
- High-risk environments including, but not limited to, high speed roadways, highly congested areas, complex lane shifts, bad weather, and/or in complex work zones.
- Class 2 apparel in combination with Class E apparel is considered Class 3 Ensemble.
- Class E apparel is either trousers or shorts that have retroreflective material encircling each leg.
- Enhances visibility of worker and helps differentiate a person from a traffic control device.
See Pocket Guide on High Visibility Apparel for more detailed information. This and more information can be found at www.atssa.com.
Developed by:
American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA)
15 Riverside Parkway Suite 100
Fredericksburg, VA 22406-1022
(800) 272-8772
This material is based upon work supported by the Federal Highway Administration under grant agreement No. DTFH61-06-G-00004 Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Federal Highway Administration.
Modified: 7/9/2012