One of the most important tools for a construction worker is his high-visibility safety vest. No matter what sort of conditions he may be working in – whether its alongside a busy highway, working after sundown, or working in the rain (for which there is safety rain gear as well), it’s vitally important that is able to be seen by people both on the construction site and those driving by. These safety vests must meet special requirements by the FHWA, that is, they must be ANSI Class 2 or Class 3 safety garments. These vests are required by all of those who are working near a highway or working near construction machinery, not just the workers themselves. This includes surveyors, engineers, foremen, and more.

Damage Over Time

As you might imagine, these safety clothing undergo a lot of physical stress due to the nature of construction itself. While this damage can happen all at one time, it usually is an accumulation after many months of wearing these vests. Gradual wear and tear can render a vest unable to be used, as they must be visible at 1000 feet by law. If they aren’t, whether it’s from being torn, defaced, soiled, or damaged, it is required that they get replaced.

Color And Reflectivity

There are a few key things one should look for in deciding whether or not a vest needs to be replaced. Of course vests are bound to get dirty and a little worn (it’s construction after all), but they still need to have high levels of contrast, bright colors, and high reflectivity. They also need to be visible from 1000 feet away. When vests aren’t visible from this distance, the reflectivity is low, and the colors are faded and not distinctive, they’ve reached the point where replacement is necessary. This rule is important for other gear as well, such as reflective cones and safety rain gear.

Replacement

If you need to replace an old safety vest, the process isn’t difficult. The first step is notifying a supervisor that something needs to be replaced. A little bit of information is required to replace a vest, including what job the vest was for (since they can very by job), local regulations and laws regarding safety vests, and what class the vest is, i.e. Class 2 or Class 3. With this information, the correct vest can be replaced.

There is still one more step after the old vest has been replaced. It’s important to cut the old vest up so that no one else uses it by accident.

Average Lifetime

There are also other factors that can contribute to increased rate of wear on safety vests, but the average time is around six months. Vests worn at higher elevations or in hotter climates are more prone to damage. In addition, the actual type of work done while wearing these vests can lead to dirtier, more worn vests, and how often vests are cleaned and how they are stored also play a big part.

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