How often should hi-vis clothing be replaced?

How often should I replace my hi-vis clothing?

It goes without saying that high-visibility safety clothing is a must on every worksite. Hi-vis shirts, vests and jackets are the norm for Australian businesses, and most contractors know that day and day/night clothing has to comply with Australian Standards for reflectivity and sun protection.

However, how do you know when your high vis clothing is becoming less effective?

Over time, fabrics are exposed to constant washing, harsh environments, UV light, chemicals and sweat, all of which contribute to the degradation of both the fabric and the reflective tape. Washing your clothes gradually affects the properties of the tape, and the high vis yellow or orange fabric can also fade and become less visible over time.

Even tough heavyweight cotton drill garments will eventually be worn down after frequent wear in tough environments like construction and demolition sites.

Some websites report that some cheaper brands of reflective tape are only good for around 30 washes. This means you might need to replace your workwear more often than you’d expect!

The Australian Standard lists which types of reflective materials are compliant and how often they can be washed before becoming non-compliant.

It states that "garments should be inspected on a regular basis and replaced if they are badly damaged, soiled or faded, or the retroreflective material has ceased to be fit for purpose. In constant use, garments should be critically examined at 3 to 6 month intervals."

How to ensure your high vis clothing goes the distance

Here are 3 ways to ensure you get the best life out of your high visibility clothing:

• Prolonged heat can affect your garments: try to store clothing away from intense heat so that the reflective tape is less affected
• Wash your shirts, vests, jackets and pants according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Ensure you take note of the recommended washing temperature and drying recommendations - this will help to prolong the life of your high vis clothes
• Inspect your clothing every 3 to 6 months and replace items that are torn, damaged, faded or badly soiled.

Most importantly, start with the best!

Ensure you only purchase high vis clothing that is manufactured to Australian Standards. Cheap, non-approved high vis fabrics and tapes are sometimes only good for a few washes, which means replacing them will cost you more in the long run.

Classifications for hi-vis clothing

It’s important to ensure you’ve got the right shirts, vests, jumpers and pants for the job. Whilst the type of clothing is important, it’s also critical to ensure you consider when you’ll be wearing it.

Working at dawn in winter might technically be called daytime, but if the light levels are low you might be better off with a Class D/N garment made for day and night, as daytime-only clothing is not as effective in low light conditions.

Here are the three main Class designations of high vis clothing:

• Class D garments are only suitable for day use and are ineffective at night, and at dusk or dawn.
• Class N garments are suitable for use at night, and typically feature retroreflective tape in specific patterns. To meet the standard, the tape must be 50mm wide and in a hoop, H or X pattern.
• Class D/N garments are suitable for both day and night use.

Further Reading

Refer to these Australian Standards for more information on selecting and using high visibility clothing.

AS/NZS 4602.1 High visibility safety garments – Garments for high-risk applications
AS/NZS 1906.4 Retroreflective materials and devices for road traffic control purposes
AS/NZS 4399: 2017 Sun protective clothing

Keep reading: Take the headache out of uniform orders with JAMS

Keep reading: What is ARC Rated Clothing?

Time for some new high vis gear? Shop online at Jaybro!

We’ve got a wide range of shirts, vests, pants and jackets that are Australian Standards approved for day, night and day/night use.

Jaybro has teamed up with well-known brands like Bisley, DNC, NCC Apparel, Biz Collection, Syzmik and Private Brands to bring you the best choice of workwear for comfort and performance.

Additionally, Jaybro supplies approved specialty high vis uniforms for traffic controllers, Railcorp workers and more. Take a look at our range here, or if you’ve got a large team to buy for, you might like to learn more about JAMS, the Jaybro apparel management system that makes ordering high-vis clothing easy.

Contact our Safety team for more information.