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Hatch41428  
#1 Posted : 26 February 2018 11:03:16(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
Hatch41428

A manager has obtained some black jackets with the hi-vis stripes and wants to use them instead of the standard yellow / orange as the drivers who wear them become grubby very quickly when wearing yellow.

What are your opinions on these items?   I have a concern that in the day time the jackets are a lot less visible.

Can't seem to find much info on them other than from those PPE companies selling them.

Thank you

A Kurdziel  
#2 Posted : 26 February 2018 11:49:45(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
A Kurdziel

Originally Posted by: Hatch41428 Go to Quoted Post

A manager has obtained some black jackets with the hi-vis stripes and wants to use them instead of the standard yellow / orange as the drivers who wear them become grubby very quickly when wearing yellow.

What are your opinions on these items?   I have a concern that in the day time the jackets are a lot less visible.

Can't seem to find much info on them other than from those PPE companies selling them.

Thank you

How can you have a black hi-viz jacket?

This is what the HSE says about it http://www.hse.gov.uk/workplacetransport/factsheets/clothing.htm

Note that clothing needs to be CE marked to show it complies with any European Standards.   Also look at BS EN ISO 20471:2013+A1:2016

firesafety101  
#3 Posted : 26 February 2018 11:50:52(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
firesafety101

Employees issued with PPE have a duty to maintain, including cleaning.  Just get them to wash their PPE.

hilary  
#4 Posted : 26 February 2018 12:00:54(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
hilary

I suspect these may have been manufactured for "white" environments, catering, snow fields, that kind of thing.  Certainly black hi vis in everyday use is a really silly idea.

Charlie Brown  
#5 Posted : 26 February 2018 12:06:04(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Charlie Brown

Black vests are not Hi-Viz in all light conditions which from memory was the idea, you could have a look at the tags in them and see if they comply with the appropriate EN ISO number (which I can't remember).

Whether they are fit for purpose or not depends really though on the site, environment etc. with ppe being the last in the heirarchy of controls.

That being said, if the site is busy or the drivers are working on multiple sites rather than a yard that is a controlled environment then I personally would stick with the normal yellow or orange vests.

As far as I remember cleaning these vests ruins their reflectivity.

Charlie Brown  
#6 Posted : 26 February 2018 12:09:39(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Charlie Brown

Ah yes, must have written this while I was getting my tea but there is the standard right there!!

Originally Posted by: A Kurdziel Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: Hatch41428 Go to Quoted Post

A manager has obtained some black jackets with the hi-vis stripes and wants to use them instead of the standard yellow / orange as the drivers who wear them become grubby very quickly when wearing yellow.

What are your opinions on these items?   I have a concern that in the day time the jackets are a lot less visible.

Can't seem to find much info on them other than from those PPE companies selling them.

Thank you

How can you have a black hi-viz jacket?

This is what the HSE says about it http://www.hse.gov.uk/workplacetransport/factsheets/clothing.htm

Note that clothing needs to be CE marked to show it complies with any European Standards.   Also look at BS EN ISO 20471:2013+A1:2016

ryangavin777  
#7 Posted : 26 February 2018 13:31:52(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
ryangavin777

I'm not 100% but I'm pretty sure BS EN ISO20471 only allows yellow and orange as the background colour? Possibly red?

Anyway, we're getting too technical and having a black high vis for most industrys is a pretty silly idea. Are they using a torch with a black light too?

Elfin Davy 09  
#8 Posted : 26 February 2018 14:36:53(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Elfin Davy 09

The only people I've ever seen wearing black hi vis jackets have been security staff at concerts etc and pub/club door staff in towns and cities.  I suppose it suits their image better than a yellow one eh ?  Other than that, I totally agree with everyone else who has posted so far.  Yellow and/or orange are really the only colours suitable where people need to be seen (which includes drivers in my opinion), so I'd send the manager concerned back to the shops for a refund if I were you...

Edited by user 26 February 2018 14:38:14(UTC)  | Reason: Fat Finger Syndrome !

mikeh  
#9 Posted : 26 February 2018 22:04:34(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
mikeh

Black hi-viz (and a whole host of other colours) has become very popular in the exhibition, entertainment and festival world. They are usually just marked as 'corporate wear' as they do not meet the EN standard for PPE used in live traffic environments. Class 2 if memory serves. If the company policy is to meet the EN standard then this wont do it for you.

These coloured 'hi-viz' do work rather well in terms of determining which company someone is working for in a multi-contractor environment where there are limited risks from exposure to fast moving traffic (<10kph).

I have even come across corporate traffic management teams using mixed red and green who i think are pushing their luck should one of their staff get hit by a vehicle. But as someone else said it depends on how the risks are controlled by other means first.

Good luck

Edited by user 26 February 2018 22:05:40(UTC)  | Reason: </> error

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