Safety is such an important topic in the workplace that the entire month of June is dedicated to its observance. Since 1996 the National Safety Council has designated the month of June as National Safety Month. Special attention is paid throughout June to highlight the leading causes of preventable death and injury, as well as best practices for avoiding potentially harmful situations or conditions. But the reality is: safety is best practiced all year long.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), there were 4,543 reported preventable injury-related deaths in the United States in 2023¹ (the latest year for complete data). The industry sector with the largest number of preventable fatal injuries was construction, transportation and warehousing.²

Over 2021-2022, contact with objects and equipment was listed as the cause of workplace injuries in 780,690 reported cases.³ To help prevent such accidents from occurring, it’s important for workers to be visible at all times. Enhanced visibility and/or hi visibility safety workwear helps workers be seen on the job and helps reduce accidents from contact with motor vehicles and equipment.

As a leading supplier of workplace uniforms, Vestis® provides several options for work environments where visibility is critically important. It’s important to understand the differences between enhanced vis and hi visibility uniforms, as well as the common uses for each.

What’s the Difference Between Enhanced Vis and Hi Visibility Uniforms?

Both serve a similar purpose — to help make employees more visible in both daylight and lowlight conditions. The big difference is how visible you want the wearer to be and whether the apparel is held to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards, which mandates clothing and usage requirements for specific high-risk industries and specific job roles.

Let’s take a closer look:

Enhanced Visibility

Enhanced visibility garments help people stay safer in workplace environments that are risky such as parking lot attendants, warehouse staff and traffic control, but not quite as risky as those that require higher visibility gear.

Enhanced visibility clothing features reflective striping on both the upper and lower body that contrasts well with the rest of the garment to make the wearer more noticeable. Reflective taping on shirts or jackets is typically positioned on or around the lower chest and arm areas of the wearer. For pants, the reflective colors and striping are usually on or around the lower leg/shin area. Enhanced visibility clothing isn’t required to meet the stringent standards set forth by ANSI and therefore, can’t be used in certain industries, environments or job roles.

Hi Visibility

Hi visibility uniforms are required (and regulated) by ANSI and International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) for workers in many key industries, including construction, emergency responders, airport ramp personnel, maintenance and utility work. Hi visibility uniforms are more reflective and colorful than enhanced visibility and are designed to maximize the visibility of wearers as much as possible.

While specific requirements may vary by industry and job responsibilities, garments must adhere to modern standards as it relates to design, component colors, care labeling, fabric quality for both wet and sunny conditions (to reduce fading caused by the UV rays and/or rain), reflective material placement and the performance requirements of materials.

Benefits of a Uniform Rental Company for Safety Workwear

Partnering with a company that has expertise in enhanced and hi visibility uniforms can greatly simplify your job with the right products and dependable service. Vestis has a wide variety, including shirts, pants, outerwear and accessories in multiples styles, sizes and colors in both navy and new charcoal.

Additionally, Vestis can help you with:

Compliance

Vestis uses our extensive industry knowledge to provide you with products that help you meet complex compliance obligations. We can provide you with safety workwear that support your specific requirements, helping you feel confident that you have the appropriate uniform for every job.

Laundering

Maintaining the reflective and performance qualities in your safety workwear is crucial. As part of our rental program, a Route Sales Representative will pick up, wash, repair and even replace garments when necessary and use wash methods that help these items retain their safety enhancing properties. We then deliver them back to your location, so workers are prepared for their shifts.

Rent, Lease or Buy Options

At Vestis, we have a full service rental program to outfit your entire team across multiple locations. We also have a direct purchase option to enhance your rental program and a lease option for organizations who have disparate workforces in remote regions where laundering services would be difficult. Either way, we can help you build a safety workwear program that meets your needs.

Have more questions about your safety workwear? We’re here to help. Reach out today to talk to one of our specialists.

¹Deaths include persons of all ages. Workers and death rates include persons 16 years and older. The rate is calculated as: (number of fatal work injuries x 200,000,000/total hours worked). The base for 100,000 full-time equivalent workers is 200,000,000 hours. Prior to 2008, rates were based on estimated employment – not hours worked.

²https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/work/work-overview/work-safety-introduction/

³https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/work/work-overview/top-work-related-injury-causes/