More and more clothing items are being equipped with reflective or high-visibility (fluorescent) details. This is often done for the purpose of improving visibility but it also comes with risks.
It can give a false sense of safety.
The people who wear fluorescent clothing or an item of clothing with reflective details often assume that their clothing choices mean they fulfil requirements in terms of visibility, even though that is not always the case. The legislator would like to prevent this confusion in the future.
A new interpretation of the existing regulation 2016/425 of April 2023 plays a role herein. According to this interpretation, all work clothing that includes a fluorescent or reflective section and thus seems to improve visibility, will be regarded as PPE. As a result, these items of work clothing must fulfil the essential safety requirements under the regulation (EU 2016/425).
The producer, therefore, has three options and can categorise its products in one of these groups:
- EN ISO 20471, protection against serious visibility risks (High Visibility)
- EN 17353, protection against medium visibility risks (Enhanced Visibility)
- Protection against very limited visibility risks (Visibility)
The extent of the risk is weighed up on the basis of the speed of the wearer combined with their passive or active participation in this movement. The table below provides an overview:
EN 17353 as solution
Protection against serious visibility risks: approval according to EN ISO 20471
This high visibility norm contains more requirements than just a fluorescent colour.
The norm thus ‘guarantees’ (among other things) minimum visibility at all times (light/dark), in various situations (standing up, bent over...) and also for a certain number of washes.
Read more about the conditions of EN ISO 20471 in the following blog article: Fluorescent, reflective and photo-luminescent?
Discover our high-visibility clothing here
Protection against medium visibility risks: approval according to EN ISO 17353: 2020
EN 17353: 2020 is a new norm which replaces EN 1150 and EN 13356. This norm applies to high-visibility clothing and accessories for exposure to a ‘medium risk’.
It cannot be used for:
- Low risks (e.g. dark blue sweater with reflective piping)
- High risks (e.g. traffic parka)
- Products with active lighting (e.g. jacket fitted with LED lights)
- Products for your head (e.g. cap with fluorescent details), hands (e.g. fluorescent gloves) or feet (e.g. shoes with retro-reflective piping)
The norm encompasses 3 types:
- Type A indicates whether the product protects in daylight
- Type B focuses on protection against visibility risks in dark situations.
- Type AB is a combination of both
For adult clothing, the surface of the fluorescent materials must be > 0.24 m². This is more than the lowest category of EN ISO 20471. The rules on the placement of the fluorescent material are less stringent.
In contrast to EN 20471, up to 7 different colours are permitted as ‘fluorescent’ materials, i.e.
- Yellow-green
- Yellow
- Yellow-orange
- Orange
- Orange-red
- Red
- Pink
Protection against very limited visibility risks: An explicit statement on the product
When a product is equipped with fluorescent or reflective details for purely aesthetic reasons, there must be a statement on the product which indicates that it is not intended to improve visibility.
Discover our high-visibility clothing here
The difference between the two norms
Some of the safety materials that are currently available have too much fluorescent material on them to be approved according to EN 17353, but cannot fulfil EN 20471. This clothing may no longer be marketed and must be disposed of.
EN ISO 20471 applies to articles that are designed to offer protection against high risks. If the article is designed to offer protection against medium risks, then EN 17353 applies.
Do you want to make sure your clothing fulfils the legislative requirements? Check whether the label refers to EN 17353 or EN 20471. If it does not reference either, make an appointment with our expert to take a closer look.
