The need to be seen is especially important for workers who spend their days around moving traffic. Garbage collectors, utility workers, school crossing guards, and airport baggage handlers all fall into this category. These folks have specific safety precautions they are required to take under ANSI/ISEA 107-2004 which is the authoritative government tome on reflective and high-visibility clothing. But there are more options when meeting those standards than you might think.
This series of recommendations reached the standard of law when it was incorporated into the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). It requires, among other things, their clothing be of a certain visibility, measured in brightness, and have very bright reflective capabilities which are measured, like a light, in lumens.
Most people think of Class 2 clothing in terms of the reflective safety vests seen on so many workers, but Class 2 clothing isn't limited to vests. In addition to comfortable reflective sweatshirts there are also less obvious reflective clothing solutions. The Reflective Hi-Vis Harness Work Vest provides not only fall protection, but also visibility insurance. Bridge workers may need this type of dual protection.
For the rainy season, there are lots of options that provide not only excellent protection from the precipitation and cold, but also give workers the reflective profile that is especially important when visibility is at its worst. The Waterproof Bomber Jacket actually meets Class 3 requirements which apply to workers who may be around traffic moving in excess of 50 mph. Class 3 garments are also required to be seen from a minimum distance of 1,280 ft.
Another high visibility option, excellent for rain, but less geared toward warmth is the 2-Piece Hi-Vis Rain Suit - as reflective as it is fashionable. The important thing to remember is that garbage collectors and others who spend their days working around moving traffic have options when it comes to meeting their Class 2 ANSI reflective clothing requirements.