Which Class Vest do I need?

The title of today’s blog is one of the questions that we hear often here at National Safety, Inc. When do you need to be wearing a Class III vest rather than a Class II? What’s the difference?

Unfortunately there is no fast and set answer to that rule, only some general guidelines. While the speed limit is the most reliable guideline, it isn’t the only issue and, in certain situations you might need to be in a class III vest even when the speed limit on the road that you are working on is low enough to warrant a class II vest. The problem is that if an inspector believes that you should be wearing a Class III and you’re only wearing a Class II, you might be in trouble.

Here are the general guidelines concerning which class vest needs to be worn:

Class I are allowed where:

1. Workers have a very clear and unhindered line of sight on oncoming traffic
2. There is a large enough buffer between workers and the traffic
3. The speed limit on the road in question is 25 MPH or lower
4. Workers in a Class I or Class II vest are easily and clearly visible.

Class II vests are required where:

1. Workers’ attention may not always be on the traffic around them
2. Visibility is hindered because of fog or rain or other weather problems
3. There is a chance that a Class I vest won’t be as visible because of background
4. The barrier between the workers and the traffic is less than in the above instance for a Class I vest.
5. The speed limit on the road in question exceeds 25 MPH.

Class III vests are required where:

1. Workers are working in high speed areas (highways, for example)
2. The workers aren’t easily visible and identifiable as a worker in a Class II vest at a distance of at least 1280 feet
3. The complexity of the job means that the workers will often not be able to pay attention to traffic

Still not sure? You’re not alone. So here’s a piece of advice: When in doubt err on the side of caution. If you aren’t clear about what Class vest you should be wearing, the best thing to do is to step up to the higher class vest, not only to cover yourself in case of inspection but also to increase your safety factor. This general rule should actually apply to all areas of safety. If you aren’t sure if the job you’re doing requires safety glasses, you should probably wear them because there is obviously something about it that caused you to ask the question in the first place.