In environments where visibility is poor and workers have to move under low light, the wearing of reflective workplace safety apparel is a legislated mandate. Employers are required to assess the potential dangers faced by employees, especially if there are cars, trucks and machineries travelling or operating under their own power around the workplace environment.
In such cases, workers are provided with high-visibility, safety apparel and headgears, especially in low light and poor visibility conditions That way, drivers and machinery operators are alerted of a worker’s presence even as part of a worker’s body is obscured by trees or by traffic barriers from the driver’s or operator’s vision.
However, employers must make certain that the high-visibility safety garments to be provided all conform with the legislative requirements of their state or jurisdiction.
In the US, the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Standards recommend for employers to first conduct a hazard assessment for every job site. Doing so can help determine the potential hazards that workers may encounter while performing their jobs.
Thorough assessment is especially important for those tasked to carry out their work in areas where there is poor visibility due to low light conditions, whilst working while there are moving vehicles around.
The towing industry is an example of a business that requires employers to provide workers with HVSA/ Under OSH standards, towing operations are High Risks, Classified as Class 2 for Daytime hazards and Class 3 for low visibility conditions.
If you are reading this because you are doing a hazard assessment for a towing company san jose, California, be in the know that all workers exposed to while in the right of way are required to wear High performance Class 2 or Class 3 High Visibility Safety Apparel. As the person designated to determine the eight Class of HVSA, you have to reger to the specifications enumerated under the American National Standard ANSI 107-2004.
Determining the Class of HVSA that a Towing Company Must Provide to Workers
First off, you must determine the type and nature of the work performed by an employee at the towing site. Consider if the worker has to control flow of traffic or interact with the public, particularly motorists, which makes high visibility necessary. If so, it’s important for a worker to be visually identifiable from other people interacting in the towing area.
Other considerations include background of the area (highway, urban or rural), and site conditions such as traffic hazards, traffic speed, and factors affecting natural lights (sunlight, overcast sky, heavy rain or snow. It’s important to assess such factors because they can help determine the necessary reflective designs and accessories that serve as warning while still in safe distances
