What is the difference between reflective and high-visibility protective clothing?

 

ENHANCED-VISIBILITY CLOTHING

What is enhanced visibility? Simply put, it is any garment fitted with reflective tape or another reflective element in any layout that does not meet the high-visibility standard EN ISO 20471. Enhanced-visibility clothing is intended for those who work in lower-risk areas but still want extra visibility. You can see this with many workers in many fields who add reflective tape or another reflective element to their workwear. Unlike high visibility, no standards apply to enhanced visibility.  

 

 

HIGH-VISIBILITY CLOTHING

High-visibility clothing, in turn, differs from enhanced-visibility clothing mainly in that it must meet the specific standard EN ISO 20471.  High-visibility clothing is divided into different types and classes according to the level of enhanced visibility.  Each type of high-visibility garment must have a specified minimum area (m2) of background material and a minimum area (m2) of reflective tape. The background material must contain one of three fluorescent colours, along with reflective strips. The high-visibility standards approve three material colours: fluorescent yellow, orange and red. You can read more about high-visibility clothing in our blog post.

 

 

SO WHICH IS BETTER?

Which is better – high-visibility (Hi-Vis) clothing or reflective clothing? Depending on how it is used, the difference can determine the wearer's level of safety in poor visibility conditions. Knowing this difference is essential.

 

The fluorescent material in high-visibility workwear contains pigments that convert light and are designed to enhance light in the visible spectrum, so that they reflect extra light off the fabric. That is why highly visible or fluorescent clothing is best used where a higher level of UV light is present – that is, mainly during the day. Since artificial light contains a very small amount of UV light, fluorescent clothing is of no use at night.

 

Reflective materials, on the other hand, send almost all the light that falls on the fabric back towards the light source. This provides greater visibility, but only in the area aligned with the light source – for example, from the driver's point of view directly behind their headlights. This means that protective workwear with reflective elements alone will make no difference to your safety during the day, as it will only reflect light in the dark.

It has been shown that both high-visibility clothing and reflective clothing, when used correctly, improve safety in low-light conditions. Combining high-visibility clothing with reflective tapes and accessories increases the wearer's safety both during recreation and at the workplace.

 

 

SUMMARY

The difference between reflective and high-visibility clothing lies mainly in the level of protection or visibility the clothing offers. High-visibility clothing meets the European high-visibility standard EN ISO 20471 and ensures visibility for the wearer by day and by night. By day, greater visibility is provided by the fluorescent material, and by night by the reflective tapes.

Enhanced-visibility clothing, on the other hand, does not meet the EN ISO 20471 standard, but still increases the wearer's visibility thanks to its reflective elements. In most cases, however, enhanced-visibility clothing has no fluorescent base, so it really makes you more visible only at night, not during the day.

 

In short, if you are unsure which option to choose, we always advise the safer one. If your work exposes you to risks due to poor visibility, choose high-visibility workwear to the EN ISO 20471 standard, as it provides optimal visibility and thus greater safety for you or your employees.

 

At UTG Vodnik we take the safety of every customer very seriously. That is why we strive to offer only the highest-quality reflective and high-visibility work and outer clothing. We aim for the clothing you choose for protection to provide the highest level of protection consistently, reliably and as affordably as possible. 

 

You can see our entire range of high-visibility and reflective clothing here. You can also visit us in our store in Vir near Domžale, where you can also see the products in stock in person. For any questions, we are available at info@utg-vodnik.si or at 01 724-82-58.