Mesh safety vests for high-contrast visibility

Safety vests for road and construction crews are essential personal protective equipment (PPE). The vests have bright yellow-green and orange fields, colors that the human eye detects quickly and distinguishes easily against background. The high-visibility safety vests also have vertical and horizontal reflective silver stripes ranging from 1 to 2 inches in width, sometimes with a color-contrasting trim for another inch of visibility on each side. The striping is essential for reflecting headlight illumination.

Mesh is lightweight

Most mesh safety vests consist of lightweight, breathable knitted polyester fabric. Many mesh vests weigh less than a half pound, and the mesh knitting allows air to circulate to and from the body. Knitted polyester also provides vertical stretch, allowing freedom of movement. Like many safety supplies that conform to criteria set by the American National Standard Institute (ANSI), knitted mesh safety fabric meets ANSI standards for visibility, breathability, and flexibility.

Different classes of high-visibility safety vests

Safety vests come in different classes for various risk-prone environments. Class 1 vests are for crew members working in non-traffic or slow-traffic zones. Class 2 vests are for crew members working in inclement weather or next to traffic traveling between 25 and 50 mph, in areas set off with traffic safety options like roadway cones. Class 3 safety vests are for the most dangerous zones, where traffic is traveling more than 50 mph or where personnel like emergency crews are working in severe weather. Class 2 mesh safety vests must have at least 201 square inches of reflective striping and 775 square inches of safety background. Class 3 vests must have 310 and 1,240 square inches, respectively, and must resemble the shape of a human body. Thus, Class 3 vests also have short high-contrast reflective sleeves.

Safety vest closures

Workers must be able to close their vests to maintain their visibility and to keep the vests from getting caught on equipment. Different closures are available:

• Basic hook and loop connections
• Full front zippers
• Full front Velcro® strips
• Tearaway Vecro strips at the shoulders, sides, and front for emergency removal if snagged on equipment

Convenient features

Many mesh safety vests have external tool pockets and interior pockets to keep objects safe from the elements. The vests also come in a range of sizes to fit all workers, from medium, large, and extra-large to 5X sizes.