There are generally 2 core reasons for hi viz clothing needs, the first being the need to be seen in poor weather conditions or less than normal lighting conditions and the second being the need to be seen in an environment where you can find a lot of heavy equipment and machinery moving around.

When looking for clothing needs that fall into one of these categories you may find this gear and equipment listed under personal protective equipment (PPE).  Hi viz clothing is designed to help easily distinguish the person wearing the items from any background, usually enhanced by highly reflective strips on various parts of the garment or item.  A common example might be the yellow waistcoats, generally worn by the crew of an emergency service team.

The key goal behind these garments are to provide the greatest visibility during the day time as well as night time. Weather conditions change all the time, people work in hazardous occupations, unexpected emergencies might put someone at risk if they’re not ready for such occasions.

To help enhance the night time visibility, clothing items are commonly outfitted with retro reflective stripes.  The retro reflective stripes help the wearer become visible when near a light source, such as a car with headlights that are on.  Due to the amount of items that are reflective, the patterns found on clothing items help distinguish people from any objects that might reflect light.

If it’s during the day time, the best solution for hi viz clothing are items enhanced with very bright colors.  Bright colors on garments are commonly found amplified by fluorescent based materials, this allows others to see people from a further distance wearing hi viz clothing compared to someone who may not be wearing it.

In addition to the hi viz clothing, if a person is going to be working in a dangerous environment where they need to maximize visual awareness then an item such as head gear with mounted mirrors may be warranted.  This type of gear should reveal any potential dangers in an environment where safety is a bigger factor.

In November of 2008 the United States put a law into effect that requires all personnel working on highways that are eligible for federal funds to be wearing a high visibility vest.  Unless you’re a Fire Fighter, hi viz clothing must be worn at all times. Fire Fighters are exempt from this requirement only when involved in a hazardous materials situation or when they’re on site actively executing activities related to fire fighting.