Is your vest up to snuff: High Visibility Clothing Requirements

The MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways) was updated in late 2023, so it's a good time to review the parts that affect the broadband industry the most directly. One of those is what high visibility apparel is appropriate to wear. 

Make sure employees are wearing a vest that meets Performance Class 2 or 3 of ANSI/ISEA 107-2015. The easiest way to tell is to check the tag on the vest. Check out this example of an ANSI compliant tag (this is the source, great for more background reading on the subject).

 

If the tag says ANSI-ISEA 107-2015, you're good to go. If it says 107-2020, that's OK too. However, if it says 107-2010, that means the vest has done its time and now needs to be updated.  The vest must be worn whenever a worker is within a "temporary traffic control" (TTC) zone, which includes time when a vehicle is parked along the side of a road or within a construction zone.

The changes to the high vis apparel might seem subtle, but the research that goes into development is substantial and backed by science. And you just might save an employee's life by making the switch.