Is a signal vest a mere detail of workwear or something more? Let's see who wears this kind of clothes. Employees of the police, road services, airports, railway stations. Also in uniform of this kind are required to walk people whose duties include cleaning the city and territories adjacent to the carriageways. There is still a category of workers wearing work clothes by the nature of their activity, but we will not talk about them. The signaling vest is the topic of our conversation.
Clothing made from materials that provide good visibility during the daytime by applying
fluorescent paints and bright colors (lemon, orange, etc.) to it, and also having special retroreflective inserts in order to ensure the visibility of a person at night on the road part is called a signal. According to GOST R 12.4.219-99, it is divided into three classes. The higher the hazard level, the higher the class. As a result, the area of reflective inserts is larger. The 3rd class has the highest degree of protection, the ratio of materials is 0.80 / 0.20 m². The signaling vest 2 protection classes has a material ratio: 0.50 / 0.13 m². For certain professions, strict rules for wearing this form are regulated by law (Order No. 297 of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of 04/20/06). In accordance with its requirements, the employer is obliged to provide employees with special clothing of the corresponding class for free, issuing a signal vest for a period specified by the Ministry of Health.
In addition to those who are forced to wear signal clothing by the nature of their activity, it is recommended to wear special vests for children and athletes during biking, skiing in the mountains. Bright-colored clothes with life-saving features come in handy for walks at sea. Signal vest, the price of which is “symbolic”, will become an indispensable attribute during hiking trips around the country. It is light in weight and washing, flawless to wear, takes up little space. Sufficient conditionality in size allows you to wear a vest both in summer (on thin clothes) and in winter (on a warm jacket).
It seems that such a smallness, but capable of saving someone else's life, should become a constant companion of professional drivers (truckers) who are not required by law to wear this type of clothing.
In some countries of Europe, the car should be equipped not only with a spare tire, fire extinguisher and first aid kit, but also with protective clothing. Moreover, medicines and spare parts can lie in the trunk, but the signal vest is exclusively in the car’s interior due to the fact that, according to the law, the driver can go exclusively in it. It is also recommended to have kits for passengers. By the way, the penalty for the absence of this attribute is impressive and can greatly afford it.
In our country there are no such severities, although in vain. A vest can save a person’s life on the road, protect from difficulties the one who will be forced to bear responsibility for negligence, both his own and those who ended up on the track without overalls. Take care of yourself and your loved ones!