A large majority of construction and utility industries have workers that wear yellow high-vis clothing. So why do rail workers wear orange high-visibility clothing? Is there a difference?
The most obvious reason is that the colours yellow and green are used for train signalling, so rail workers wear orange hi-vis in order to not confuse the train drivers. Another reason is that most rail maintenance work occurs in the countryside rather than a city environment, which makes orange a much better colour for improving visibility, as a worker wearing yellow high-visibility clothing will be more likely to blend into a green location.
Only orange and yellow hi-vis are deemed by health and safety experts to provide adequate visibility. Any other colour, including red, blue or pink are for recreational use only and are not suitable for providing high-visibility in a working environment.
There are 3 classes of high-visibility workwear based on the level of conspicuousness they provide. These are:
In order for high-visibility workwear to meet class 3 specifications, to ensure visibility at night, the clothing must include a minimum amount of silver reflective tape, worn across the chest, arms, shoulders and legs. In these circumstances, workers should wear high-vis coveralls or jackets and trousers, rather than vests, as these allow for silver reflective tape on both the arms and legs.
Work and Wear Direct sell orange high-visibility workwear suitable for Network Rail, from brands such as Pulsar rail hi-vis clothing. We also sell hi-vis clothing for a large range of other industries.
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