ISO 20471 High Visibility Garments - Test Methods and Requirements

In the ISO 20471 standard published by the International Standards Organization (ISO), the requirements for high-visibility protective clothing that visually indicate the presence of the wearer are explained and test methods are presented. This standard is intended to attract the attention of vehicle drivers and other mechanized equipment operators under the illumination of high-visibility clothing, daylight conditions and headlights in the dark. This standard includes performance requirements for color and retroreflection, as well as minimum spaces and placement of materials in protective clothing. This standard has been published in our country by the Turkish Standards Institute (TSE) with the following title: EN ISO 20471 / A1 Clothing with high visibility warning - Test methods and properties.

In the said standard, the performance and design requirements of the materials that increase the prominence used in high-risk visible garments are specified along with their photometric values. Clarity is a feature that allows an object to easily attract visual attention. This property is particularly important in environments with complex objects. Clarity is determined by the luminance contrast, color contrast, pattern and design of an object, and its movement characteristics according to the background of the environment in which it appears.

Protective clothing is defined in three groups based on retroreflective, fluorescent and combined performance materials. Each group provides a different level of salience. For example, class 3 is the class that provides the highest level of visibility during the day and night in urban and rural environments. A risk assessment of the location and situation where the protection provided by clothing is required It is necessary to determine the required performance level.

In short, the ISO 20471 standard includes requirements for risk assessment and risk analysis of high visibility protective clothing. By the way, possible designs showing the placement of retroreflective materials are also included in the standard. While choosing the most appropriate configuration of retroreflective and fluorescent materials in clothing design, ergonomic factors such as body size, comfort and range of motion should also be taken into account.

With the experience gained over many years, our organization also provides ISO 20471 High-visibility clothing testing services to the demanding enterprises within the framework of laboratory services of materials with a trained and expert staff.