High visibility safety vests are a necessity in many low to high risk environments. Safety vests like simple sash overthrows, or full class 2 road worker vests are designed to increase visibility of on-site staff in all conditions, helping to prevent accidents and incidents.

Road workers, construction workers, emergency teams, and even gas station attendants are all required to wear high visibility safety gear for certain parts of their job. Understanding the different types of vests available is important whether you are an employer looking for the right equipment for your staff, or if you’re a professional with a requirement to carry your own safety gear.

Class 1 safety vests are the lowest tier of safety vests, and are suitable for low risk environments. Parking attendants, cleaners, and low risk conductors could make use of a class 1 safety vest. These high visibility vests are usually used in situations where the vest is not required by law, but will provide additional safety for staff or the public.

A Class 2 safety vest can be used in higher risk environments, especially roadside environments with heavy flow, and/or high speed vehicles. Generally these vests are orange, green, or yellow, and may feature a reflective tape strip. These are often carried by professionals who only need to use a vest in emergency situations such as traffic conductors, police officers, and emergency response workers.

The class 3 safety vest is the highest tiered safety vest, and it is used in critical response situations or extremely high risk environments. These vests should be orange, yellow, or green for daytime visibility. They should also feature prominent reflective strips for low visibility conditions, subterranean work, or night time use.

Professionals who use safety equipment like high visibility vests can protect themselves, their colleagues, and the public from accidents and incidents on the job or in emergency response situations.

Where safety vests are required by law the South African government may specify the class of vest to be used, and there may be additional instructions in regards to colors, type of reflective strip, or even LED lighting to be used on the vests.

No matter what industry you’re in, it’s important to check your local regulations, industry best practices, company laws, civil procedures, and any other relevant legislation.

A high visibility vest could make the difference between life and death in extreme scenarios. Whenever you’re in need of safety vests or protective clothing of any kind, visit Kevcor for the most comprehensive range of safety equipment in South Africa.