1. The ANSI/ISEA 107-2004 standard specifies design guidelines and the minimum amounts of component materials, colors and placement.
2. The "Specific Guidelines" are:
a. Class ANSI I
Background Material � 217 sq in Retroreflective Material � 155 sq in Combined-performance Material � 310 sq in Min. Width of Retroreflective Material � 1 in
b. Class ANSI II
Background Material � 775 sq in Retroreflective Material � 201 sq in Combined-performance Material � NA Min. Width of Retroreflective Material � 1.375 in
c. Class ANSI III
Background Material � 1240 sq in Retroreflective Material � 310 sq in Combined-performance Material � NA Min. Width of Retroreflective Material � 2 in
d. Headwear
Background Material � 78 sq in Retroreflective Material � 10 sq in � Level 2 Combined-performance Material � 78 sq in � Level 2 or 1
3. Retroreflective Material Placement
a. Use of retroreflective bands must be appropriate for the garment class.
b. The garment must have 360 degree visibility with at least one retroreflective band encircling the torso.
c. Adherence to the appropriate separation distances of vertical and horizontal bands placed on the torso, sleeves and trousers areas.
d. Adherence to the horizontal gaps in the retroreflective band placement and garment design.
e. With regards to trim, retroreflective patterns, such as logos, design icons, or identification text may contribute to the maximum area requirements specified in number #2.
4. Component Colors
The specification provides for three different color choices for background and combined-performance material:
a. Fluorescent yellow-green
b. Fluorescent orange-red
c. Fluorescent red
Users should choose the appropriate color that is most conspicuous for daytime use. Also consider the fluorescent color that achieves the highest degree of worker contrast.
5. Garment Classes
Properly know the three classes of high-visibility safety apparel so you can choose the right garments for each work situation. Garments that cover the torso, such as t-shirts and safety vests, are intended to meet Class I or Class II requirements.
6. Ergonomics Obviously comfort is always a key factor, but notably garment designs should be free of roughness and sharp edges that could cause excessive irritation. Size ranges should be considered, due to the apparel needing to conform to the shape of each individual user.
7. Requirements for Retroreflective and Combined-Performance Materials Section 7 of the standard provides specifications for color, brightness, fabric strength and moisture resistance after various exposure tests.
a. Background material needs to have tests performed on it for chromaticity or color and luminance or brightness.
b. The background material must also be tested for color fastness to include four tests: crocking, perspiration, laundering and Xenon (UV light) exposure.
c. The background materials needs to be tested for dimensional change (shrinking) after washing and dry-cleaning.
d. Additional tests include tensile strength, tear resistance, bursting strength of woven material and bursting strength of knitted material. Background materials also need to be tested for water penetration and water repellency, if the garment is intended to provide protection during rainfall.
8. Photometric and Physical Performance for Retroreflective Material
Section 8 of the standard specifies photometric and performance requirements for retroreflective material, such as minimum brightness after test exposure.
a. Note: 3M retroreflective and combined-performance materials are certified to ANSI/ISEA 107-2004 specifications.
b. All materials must meet the minimum brightness requirements after tests for abrasion resistance, flexing, folding at cold temperatures and variation in temperatures.
c. Combined-performance material must also meet the minimum luminance or brightness factors after a Xenon exposure test (UV light).
9. Care Labeling, General Marking and Instructions for Use
When materials have been tested against performance requirements and certificates of compliance from a third party laboratory have been issued, apparel manufacturers then assemble garments according to the design guidelines in Section 6 of the standard for the appropriate class of garment. Only once all of the materials' performance and design requirements have been met, can a garment be labeled ANSI/ISEA 107-2004 compliant.
10. Specific Marking Marking includes the following information:
a. Name, trademark, or other means of identifying the manufacturer or authorized representative
b. Designation of the product type, commercial name or code.
c. Size designation.
d. Number of this specific ANSI/ISEA standard (ANSI/ISEA 107-2004).
e. Pictogram showing the garment Class and Level of Performance for the retroreflective material
f. Care labeling with FTC symbols and maximum cycles for the cleaning process.
g. Instructions for use (if applicable).
(*) � Note: Parts of the reference information for this article taken from source document: ANSI/ISEA 107-2004 MADE EASY: A Quick Reference to High-Visibility Safety Apparel (3M Corporation)
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Harold Nusbaum, Freelance writer, for Reflective Apparel Factory (RAF) - Marietta, Ga. USA. RAF has been in the reflective apparel business since 1989. Its owner Rich Boven, has 32 yrs experience in the Apparel Industry focusing on needs of Public Safety, Construction and Waste Mgt. Industries. They are a member of (ARBTA). For further questions about this article, reach Rich Boven at (866) 998-2649 or at ( http://www.reflectiveapparel.com )