Be Seen, Stay Safe
(Taken from Construction Safety Magazine, Construction Safety
Association of Ontario, Vol. 11, No. 1, Spring 2000)
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Construction
Safety Association of Ontario
ANSI sets the standard
for high-visibility clothing
Construction crews
along roads and highways are sometimes exposed to the hazards of not being
seen by motorists and others. This "low visibility" is dangerous
and can be potentially fatal.
Until recently, there
were no authoritative guidelines in either Canada or the United States
for the design, manufacture, and use of high-visibility clothing. But
the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has issued a standard
that helps ensure that workers routinely exposed to the hazards of low
visibility on the job are more easily seen.
ANSI Standard 107-1999
spells out material performance specifications and provisions for the
design and use of high-visibility apparel.
"We are encouraged
to see this sort of standard passed," says Brenda Ackerman of 3M's
Personal Safety Products Division. "Too many accidents occur on the
job because of low visibility."
This is especially
true for construction crews working along roads and highways.
The standard defines
three classes of garments. It also provides guidelines as to when a garment
may be worn according to traffic speeds.
- Class 3 garments
provide the highest level of visibility for workers with high task loads
in a wide range of weather conditions where traffic exceeds 50 mph.
The standard recommends Class 3 garments for all roadway construction
personnel.
- Class 2 garments
are intended for users who need greater visibility in inclement weather
conditions and whose activities occur near roadways where traffic speeds
exceed 25 mph.
- Class 1 garments
are for users who have ample separation from vehicular traffic that
does not exceed 25 mph and where the background is not complex.
When selecting and purchasing
clothing, make sure that the manufacturer
- uses certified
materials
- meets the design
guidelines for a particular garment class
- labels garment
according to ANSI Standard 107-1999.
For a copy of the new
ANSI standard contact the Safety Equipment Association at 703-525-1695 or
www.safetycentral.org.
Reduce risks
in construction zones
- Roadway
construction crews are a 24-hour part of our motorized landscape.
- These
crews put themselves at risk of personal injury every day and
night.
- Crews
working during low-light hours are about 2.5 times more likely
to be struck by a motor vehicle than those working during the
day.
- Making
crews more visible reduces the risk of accident and enhances
safety.
- Roadway
construction crews can increase their visibility by wearing
garments made of fabric such as 3M Scotchlite Reflective
Material.
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