High visibility clothing

What is the standard EN ISO 20471?

It is the standard that specifies requirements and testing methods for High Visibility workwear, the purpose of which is to make the wearer visible in all high-risk situations, regardless of light conditions.

Design requirements

The standard requires all high visibility workwear to be designed in a uniform manner. This includes the positioning of reflective and fluorescent materials.

The requirements applicable depend on what parts of the body the garment should cover (torso only, torso and arms, torso and legs, legs only, or torso, arms and legs). Reflective and fluorescent materials must be distributed equally on the front and rear of the garment, with a max. deviation of 10%.

Textile requirements

The fluorescent properties of fluorescent textiles used for high visibility workwear must be retained after a given number of wash cycles. For textiles in contrasting colors, there is a requirement for the fastness of the color. The reflective properties of reflective textiles used for high visibility clothing must be retained after washing.

The minimum area of fluorescent textiles and reflective materials per high visibility workwear garment, in m².

Textile high visibility clothing category 1

Fluorescent materials 0.14
Reflective materials 0.10

Textile high visibility clothing category 2

Fluorescent materials 0.50
Reflective materials 0.13

Textile high visibility clothing category 3

Fluorescent materials 0.80
Reflective materials    0.20