High-Visibility Clothing Color Requirements for Hazardous Work Environments

This document outlines the OSHA guidelines and regulations regarding high-visibility clothing and apparel color requirements for workers in specific hazardous work environments. It is based on expert knowledge and incorporates information from various OSHA and related safety standards.

General Requirements for High-Visibility Garments

Employees exposed to hazards caused by moving vehicles in construction zones and street/highway traffic must wear highly visible upper body garments. The colors must contrast with other colors in the area sufficiently to make the worker standout. Acceptable colors include strong red, strong orange, strong yellow, strong yellow-green, or fluorescent versions of these colors. During hours of darkness, the garments must also have reflective material visible from all sides for 1000 feet. [1]

Specific Color Recommendations and Usage

While OSHA does not specifically mandate colors for accident prevention tags, it recommends the following color scheme:

• DANGER: Red, or predominantly red, with lettering or symbols in a contrasting color.
• CAUTION: Yellow, or predominantly yellow, with lettering or symbols in a contrasting color.
• WARNING: Orange, or predominantly orange, with lettering or symbols in a contrasting color.
• BIOLOGICAL HAZARD: Fluorescent orange or orange-red, or predominantly so, with lettering or symbols in a contrasting color.

[2] [6]

Additional Color Guidelines

Red is the basic color for identifying fire protection equipment and apparatus. Safety cans or portable containers of flammable liquids with a flash point at or below 80°F should be painted red with a yellow band or the name of the contents stenciled in yellow. Red lights should be provided at barricades and temporary obstructions. Danger signs and emergency stop bars on hazardous machines must also be red. [5] [5] [5]

Yellow is the basic color for designating caution and marking physical hazards such as striking against, stumbling, falling, tripping, and 'caught in between'. [3]

High Visibility Personal Protective Equipment (MNOSHA)

In Minnesota, each employee exposed to or working adjacent to moving motor vehicle traffic as part of their job must be provided with and wear a high visibility warning vest or other high visibility garment. The garment must be a Performance Class 2 or greater as specified by ANSI/ISEA Standard 107-2004. Smaller garments that do not meet Performance Class 2 background material specifications must be rated by the manufacturer as greater than or exceeding Performance Class 1 requirements. [7]

Maintenance and Exceptions (MNOSHA)

If high visibility personal protective equipment becomes faded, torn, dirty, worn, or defaced, reducing its performance below manufacturer's recommendations, it must be immediately removed from service and replaced. [7]

Employees are not required to wear high visibility personal protective equipment while working inside protected areas where permanent or semipermanent barricades designed to stop or deflect vehicle traffic are in place. [7]

Special Cases (MNOSHA)

Law enforcement and emergency medical technician personnel must wear a high visibility outer garment any time they are engaged in vehicular traffic control. For fire protection personnel, compliance with NFPA No. 1971 is acceptable. [7]

For electrical work within the flash protection boundary as defined by NFPA 70E, high visibility garments constructed of material that complies with NFPA 70E must be worn. [7]

General Personal Protective Equipment Requirements

Personal protective equipment (PPE) should be used wherever employees encounter hazardous processes or environments, chemical hazards, radiological hazards, or mechanical irritants that can cause injury or impairment through absorption, inhalation, or physical contact. Employers must conduct a hazard assessment to determine the appropriate PPE. [4]

Work Clothing Guidelines

Clothing worn must be appropriate to the work performed and conditions encountered. Workers exposed to possible contact with molten metals or other substances that can cause burns must wear appropriate high-temperature protective clothing. Loose clothing must not be worn near moving machinery. Clothing saturated with flammable liquids, corrosive or toxic substances must be removed immediately and not worn again until properly cleaned. [1] [1] [1] [1]

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