What is enhanced visibility clothing, and why is it not ANSI Class 1, 2 or 3?
Enhanced visibility clothing is workwear with some fluorescent or retroreflective material on it that does not carry an ANSI/ISEA 107 class: a black or navy jacket with reflective tape, a T-shirt in a bright color with a stripe, a pair of work pants with tape on the legs. ANSI/ISEA 107 does not define the term. Its classes start at Class 1 with 217 square inches of fluorescent background material and 155 square inches of retroreflective material in a set design, and a garment that carries less, or carries tape on a dark background with no fluorescent area, has no class to claim and is labeled, as Portwest labels its Iona pieces, Non-ANSI. Europe has written a standard for exactly this: EN 17353:2020, enhanced visibility equipment for medium-risk situations, with Type A (fluorescent material only), Type B (retroreflective material only, B1 for accessories, B2 for arms and legs, B3 for the torso) and Type AB. Portwest cites EN 17353 Type B3 on some Iona rain garments. Under OSHA and the MUTCD the garment counts for nothing on a roadway, where a Class 2 or 3 garment is the requirement; it is a visibility aid where the hazard assessment finds no need for a class, a warehouse, a yard with no traffic, a shop floor.
Portwest CB393 Hi-Vis Safety Vests, Non-ANSI, Polyester MeshListed as Non-ANSI enhanced visibility, as Portwest labels it (Portwest data)Why a vest can look like hi-vis and not be hi-vis. The class is earned by area and design, not by color or by having tape. A vest with two inches of silver tape around a navy body reflects headlights at night and is invisible at dusk, because it has no fluorescent material to turn daylight and skylight into a glowing color; a lime T-shirt with no tape is bright in daylight and gone at night. ANSI/ISEA 107 requires both, in measured amounts, in a design that puts the retroreflective material where it outlines the body, and it sets the smallest size as the one that has to meet the area. A manufacturer that wants a garment to carry the class tests it and labels it; one that sells a dark workwear jacket with tape labels it Non-ANSI, as Portwest does, and the buyer reads that as “no class”. The European standard EN 17353 fills the gap below the classes with its own types and tests, and Portwest cites it on the Iona rainwear, but it is not an ANSI class and it does not satisfy a US rule that names one.
What the labels mean
ANSI/ISEA 107 classes, Non-ANSI and EN 17353 side by side.
Where enhanced visibility fits, and where it does not
- Roadway and flagging: a Class 2 or Class 3 garment under 1926.201, the MUTCD and Cal/OSHA 1598 and 1599; an enhanced-visibility piece has no class to show an inspector.
- Off-road with vehicles and equipment: ANSI/ISEA 107 Type O Class 1 is the rated option; a Non-ANSI piece is a visibility aid the hazard assessment can accept where there is no traffic exposure.
- Indoors, warehouses, shops, yards with no traffic: the common home for enhanced-visibility workwear, chosen for being seen by co-workers and forklift drivers; the 1910.132(d) assessment still decides.
- Over hi-vis: an enhanced-visibility jacket worn over a Class 2 vest hides the vest and leaves the wearer unclassed; the outermost layer carries the class or no one does.
- Black hi-vis: a dark garment with tape is enhanced visibility by nature, since the class needs a fluorescent background; the question is answered in the guide on why workers wear hi-vis, linked below.
- Labels: Portwest writes Non-ANSI in the Standards line and, where it applies, EN 17353 with the type; the product page carries exactly that.
What Radians calls non-rated
Radians states that its vests, shirts and rainwear are tested to the ANSI/ISEA 107 standard and lists the shirts as non-rated, Class 2 and Class 3. On this site the ANSI Type and ANSI Class lines on each Radians, DEWALT and Radwear USA garment carry what Radians prints: Type R Class 2 and Class 3 for the roadway vests, shirts, sweatshirts and jackets, Type O Class 1 for the off-road vests, Type P Class 2 and 3 for the public safety vests, Class E for the SP61 pants and the Neese rain pants, and Non-ANSI for the enhanced-visibility vests and shirts Radians sells as non-rated. Radians’ self-extinguishing (SE) vests and shirts are listed to ASTM D6413 and are not arc rated; its arc-rated hi-vis is listed separately with the cal/cm² figure. Radians names its Zip-N-Rip breakaway zipper on the breakaway vests, and the Radwear USA line is listed as made in the USA.
Radians hi-vis shirts and vests pages (radians.com, radians.com)Questions people ask
What does enhanced visibility mean on clothing?
Workwear with fluorescent color or reflective tape that does not meet an ANSI/ISEA 107 class; the standard has no such class, so makers label it Non-ANSI, as Portwest does, or to the European EN 17353.
Is enhanced visibility the same as Class 1?
No. Class 1 (Type O) is a rated class with 217 in² of fluorescent background and 155 in² of tape in a set design; enhanced visibility is below that or on a dark background and carries no class.
Can enhanced visibility clothing be worn on a roadway?
Not to meet the rule: 1926.201, the MUTCD and Cal/OSHA 1598 and 1599 call for ANSI/ISEA 107 garments, Class 2 or 3. An unclassed piece adds nothing an inspector can read.
What is EN 17353?
The European standard for enhanced visibility equipment in medium-risk situations: Type A fluorescent only, Type B retroreflective only (B1 accessories, B2 limbs, B3 torso), Type AB both, all below the EN ISO 20471 classes. Portwest cites Type B3 on some Iona rainwear.
Why does Portwest label the Iona pieces Non-ANSI?
Because they carry color or tape below the Class 1 areas or on a dark background and were not tested to a class; the label states that no class is claimed, which is what the buyer needs to know.
What is another name for reflective clothing?
High-visibility (hi-vis) clothing when it carries an ANSI/ISEA 107 class, and enhanced-visibility clothing when it does not: a dark jacket or T-shirt with reflective tape and no fluorescent background has no class and is labeled Non-ANSI (Portwest’s word) or EN 17353 in Europe. “Reflective” describes the tape; the class describes the whole garment.
What are the OSHA requirements for reflective clothing?
OSHA’s rules read the ANSI/ISEA 107 class, not reflectivity: flaggers need Class 2 or 3 (1926.201 through the MUTCD), excavation workers near traffic need a warning vest of reflectorized or high-visibility material (1926.651), and everyone else exposed to traffic or equipment gets what the hazard assessment calls for. Enhanced-visibility clothing meets none of the class requirements; it is a visibility aid where no class is required.
Is enhanced-visibility clothing considered PPE?
Hi-vis clothing with a class is PPE for the struck-by hazard, which the employer pays for and trains on. An enhanced-visibility garment with no class is not the PPE any rule names; where the hazard assessment finds a struck-by hazard, the rated garment (Type O Class 1 off-road, Class 2 or 3 on the road) is the equipment, and the Non-ANSI piece is workwear.
The ratings, test results and standards shown here are the manufacturers' published values, reproduced as published. Nothing on this page is a recommendation by Bayshore Safety that any product is suitable for a particular task, hazard or workplace. Selecting safety products and protective equipment is the responsibility of the end user and the employer, based on their own hazard assessment and the regulations that apply to their work. Confirm every value on the manufacturer's own documentation before use.