Did you know, if the job requires it, it’s your legal obligation as an employer to provide your staff with proper personal protective equipment (PPE), including high-visibility jackets?
How do you know if the job requires it? One sign is if your employees often work with low light and visibility.
Similarly, if they're in one of these occupations, they need a hi-vis jacket:
- Heavy equipment operators
- Construction workers
- Emergency responders
- Rail workers
- Engineering and utility workers
However, a hi-vis jacket isn’t another unnecessary expense for your company. In fact, with the right know-how (which we at fancysweetstx have), it can be a marketing avenue for you to increase your brand awareness.
How? It shows professionalism, and with the right customization, you can make your hi-vis jackets a symbol of your brand.
That's not the only benefit, we'll explore more below.
1 - Bright Colors Allow Drivers to Spot Workers More Easily
The main advantage of a hi-vis jacket is that it enhances your employees' safety by making them visible at all times.
If your employees work around moving vehicles, like trucks or other machinery, such as forklifts and backhoes, they must wear a high-visibility jacket to reduce their chances of being involved in accidents.
The jacket ensures the workers can be seen by the vehicle’s drivers sooner and more easily.
This scenario is attributed to the fact that the human eye responds best to bright, contrasting, or moving objects, meaning employee visibility is improved by the color contrast between a hi-vis jacket and the work environment.
Over the years, numerous studies and observations have proven the danger of working around vehicles.
For example, according to a 2020 report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 100 employees were fatally injured at road construction sites every year from 2011 to 2020.
This study also points out that between 2017 and 2019, over half of road worker fatalities involved workers on foot being hit by moving vehicles on worksites.
Considering the significance of these figures, it's imperative for employers to provide workers with the appropriate hi-vis jackets based on their working environment.
Hi-vis jackets are categorized into three classes depending on their work environment:
- Class 1: Provides the least amount of high-visibility components. Normally fluorescent and reflective strips required to differentiate an employee at non-complex work environments, like warehouses or parking lots.
- Class 2: Offers more hi-vis materials than Class 1, but less than Class 3. Worn by construction workers in low-traffic areas—traffic does not exceed 25mph, like high-traffic parking and toll booths or airports.
- Class 3: Offers the most high-visibility materials, allowing for the best depiction of the human figure against complicated backgrounds. Commonly worn by highway workers in areas where the speed limit exceeds 50 mph.
These three classes are further broken down into three different types:
- Type “O” (Off-road): Worn by workers who are not required to wear hi-vis jackets but work in environments with moving vehicles or equipment where visibility is a concern
- Type “R” (Roadway): Worn by workers exposed to roadway traffic, moving equipment, or vehicles
- Type “P” (Public Safety): Worn by first responders, police, and firefighters
The table below illustrates the square inch requirement of background and reflective material in a hi-vis jacket.
| Hi-Vis Jacket Designation | Type “O” Off-road (Class 1) | Type “R” Roadway (Class 2 and 3) | Type “P” Fire, Police, First Responders (Class 2 and 3) |
| Background Material Amounts | 217 in2 | Class 2: 775 in2 Class 3: 1240 in2 |
Class 2: 450 in2 Class 3: 775 in2 |
| Reflective Material Amounts | 155 in2 | Class 2: 201 in2 Class 3: 310 in2 |
Class 2: 201 in2 Class 3: 310 in2 |
| Width Minimum of Reflective Material | 1” | Class 2: 1.38” Class 3: 2” | Class 2: 2” Class 3: 2” |
2 - Enhances Brand Awareness Through Customized Logos and Text
The marketing potential of a hi-vis jacket is an important aspect that most businesses overlook.
To help customers distinguish your business from your competitors, you can have your company’s logo and slogan imprinted on a hi-vis jacket.
This strategy is very effective, given that contractors frequently collaborate with representatives from other businesses on construction sites. Let’s not forget how important brand image is when it comes to first impressions.
A customized hi-vis jacket will create a more polished and organized brand image, which will instill confidence in potential clients by showing you are a trusted expert.
To enjoy all these benefits, there are several regulations you must follow. Your hi-vis jacket must comply with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 107 guidelines. This means:
- Your logo or other imprinting can’t cover an area larger than 72 square inches. You’re free to divide that space however you choose.
For example, you can place one logo on the back of a hi-vis jacket and another on its front pocket.
- Your logo and writing should not leave gaps of more than two inches horizontally in the area covered by retro-reflective material.
The logo and text of non-compliant material should not cover more than 22 square inches of the minimum amount of visible retro-reflective.
- You should also consider your hi-vis jacket’s “balance of design”. This means that both the front and the back of the jacket should have high-visibility materials present.
A hi-vis jacket with a large logo on the back and nothing on the front will still fail the balance of design test, even if it falls under the 72 square inches measurement.
3 - It Results in Greater Worker Productivity
Wearing a hi-vis jacket will create a sense of belonging among employees, and there is no better feeling than when your workers know you appreciate them.
When you take your time to get your employees outfitted in custom made hi-vis jackets, you win their trust.
Being part of a team and feeling valued will also motivate them and result in improved productivity.
Keep Your Workers Safe and Promote Your Brand With a Custom Hi-Vis Jacket
Hi-vis jackets will lower the possibility of accidents and support your staff’s safety. They will help to inform machine operators of the presence of other workers in low light working environments.
When customized with your logo, hi-vis jackets will also promote brand awareness and show your company’s professionalism.
You can customize hi-vis jackets with your company’s logo and other information using our screen printing or embroidery services.
In the unlikely event that you dislike your current logo design, our talented in-house graphic designers will help you come up with a compelling logo that tells your brand’s story.
“Great to work with for large and small orders. Good quality shirts and able to assist with designs.”
- Danielle Nelson
“I would recommend fancysweetstx for anyone who is looking for quality clothes and excellent customer service. My company has used fancysweetstx several times to make T-shirts, Hoodies and long sleeve T's as gifts for our customers/employees.”
- Matthew S
At fancysweetstx, we understand the significance of employee safety and we’re familiar with the ANSI 107 regulations that must be followed when designing hi-vis jackets.
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