Understanding High-Visibility Clothing (And How to Make Sure You Select the Right Garments for your Team)

Understanding High-Visibility Clothing for Custom Work Uniforms

When it comes to building effective and compliant custom work uniforms, high-visibility (hi-vis) garments are often a non-negotiable part of the equation—especially in industries where visibility can mean the difference between safety and serious risk.

Whether you’re outfitting road crews, utility workers, construction teams, or warehouse staff, choosing the right hi-vis gear is about more than just color. It’s about comfort, compliance, and ensuring every employee is equipped to do the job safely and confidently.

At Work Hard Dress Right, we work with companies to make sure that high-visibility clothing isn’t just functional—it’s part of a thoughtful, branded custom work uniform solution.

Why Hi-Vis Matters

Hi-vis clothing is designed to make the wearer stand out in low-light or high-traffic environments. The bright fluorescent base colors combined with reflective materials catch the eye and reduce the chance of workplace accidents.

More than that, it’s often required by law or contract. The right garments help your team stay OSHA-compliant and job-ready from day one.

Choosing the Right Garment Type

When developing a custom uniform program that includes hi-vis, it’s critical to understand the types and classes of garments available:

• Hi-Vis T-Shirts & Polo Shirts – Ideal for warm weather or indoor settings. Lightweight and breathable while still meeting visibility standards.
• Hi-Vis Vests – A simple add-on for visitors or layered safety needs. Great for logistics, event staff, and part-time workers.
• Hi-Vis Sweatshirts & Hoodies – A perfect choice when colder conditions require warmth and visibility in one garment.
• Hi-Vis Jackets & Outerwear – For workers exposed to rain, wind, or nighttime hazards. Durable, weather-resistant, and available with thermal lining.
• Hi-Vis Pants & Coveralls – For full-body visibility, often required on job sites with moving equipment or low visibility zones.

Each piece serves a purpose—and we help you build a kit that fits your team’s exact roles and environment.

Layering Hi-Vis Into Your Custom Work Uniforms

A common challenge companies face is how to incorporate hi-vis into an overall branded look. That’s where we come in. WHDR offers solutions that allow you to:

• Co-brand high-visibility items with your company logo
• Select colors that coordinate with your brand while meeting ANSI standards
• Mix and match hi-vis items with non-hi-vis pieces for roles with different requirements
• Create flexibility with layering options for seasonal or changing conditions

Understanding ANSI Types and Classes

When incorporating high-visibility gear into your custom work uniforms, it’s important to understand how garments are classified under ANSI/ISEA 107 standards. These standards help ensure the clothing provides the right level of visibility based on the environment and job function.

ANSI Garment Types:

• Type O (Off-road): For workers in environments without traffic—like warehousing, oil & gas, or mining.
• Type R (Roadway): For those working near or around roadways where traffic is present—like construction, DOT, or flaggers.
• Type P (Public Safety): Designed specifically for police, fire, EMS, and other emergency responders.

Left to Right: Type O (Off-Road) clothing is intended for workers in construction, surveying, and other off-road environments. Type R (Roadway) clothing is designed to be highly visible even from long distances and utilizes fluorescent material combined with multiple bands or stripes of reflective material. Type P (Public Safety) clothing is used by emergency responders and other professionals to be seen in challenging environments, featuring two-tones and retroreflective material to provide a brighter glow when illuminated by headlights.

ANSI Classes:

• Class 1: Lowest level of visibility. Intended for workers away from traffic or moving equipment.
• Class 2: For higher-risk environments where visibility is more critical—typically worn by road crews, utility workers, or airport ground staff.
• Class 3: Highest visibility. Includes full-body coverage and is used in high-speed traffic or low-visibility conditions.
• Class E (for pants): Not technically a standalone class, but when worn with Class 2 or 3 tops, it elevates the total ensemble to Class 3.

At Work Hard Dress Right, we help you select the proper types and classes for every role in your company—so your custom work uniforms are not only branded and professional but also fully compliant and job-ready.

WHDR doesn’t just sell clothing—we build custom work uniform programs that solve problems, save time, and make your team look good while staying safe.

From bulk orders and embroidery to portal-based reordering and new-hire kits, we make the process clear, compliant, and streamlined.

Build Safety and Style into Your Uniform Program

If your team needs high-visibility apparel that works as hard as they do, Work Hard Dress Right is ready to help.

June is National Safety Month, and there’s no better time to consider the role of high-visibility and flame-resistant categories in workplace safety.

High-visibility clothing is designed for workers who must be visible from a distance, such as construction workers, miners, surveyors, or any other job where workers must be seen from afar. These garments feature reflective stripes, neon colors, and other materials that make workers stand out in a crowd.

Likewise, flame-resistant apparel is often required for workers operating in hazardous work environments or areas where exposure to high temperatures or fire risks exist. These garments are engineered with fabric blends that resist ignition and will not continue to burn after the source of the flame is removed. This type of apparel can provide additional protection for workers in high-risk situations and should be a key consideration when choosing safety apparel for your workforce.

No matter what type of environment you’re working in, safety apparel is an essential factor in protecting yourself and your coworkers.

Are There Types of High-Visibility Clothing?

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) works in close collaboration with stakeholders from industry and government to identify and develop standards and conformance–based solutions to national and global priorities. In the case of high-visibility garments, ANSI worked with the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) to establish consensus standards in order to establish a baseline of product performance for safety equipment. The industry regulation for these standards is known as ANSI/ISEA 107.

ANSI/ISEA 107 sets out garment design requirements for multiple Garment Types for high-visibility vests, jackets, pants and more—plus, three different Performance Classes within those Types. The standard combines two previously recognized hi-vis apparel standards designed to cover garments requirements for non-public safety workers and public safety employees, such as police and firefighters. It also provides performance testing criteria for the materials used to make the garments.

Choosing the Right High-Visibility Garments

The different types of apparel match different worksite conditions to ensure ultimate safety and protection.

Selecting the right high-visibility garments for a job begins with asking two crucial questions; What is the expected location and setting in which the job is being done, and what tasks are being performed?

Work Hard Dress Right is dedicated to helping companies like yours find the perfect managed uniform program for your needs. We understand the importance of keeping your employees safe from potential hazards and looking great in high-visibility and flame-resistant workwear that reflects your brand image.

From Type O to Type P and every Class in between, our team of experts can help you find a customized solution that meets all safety regulations and reduces costs while ensuring compliance with industry standards.

Contact us today at info@workharddressright.com or request a custom solution to learn more about what our managed uniform programs can do for you!