With the dark nights drawing in, high visibility clothing becomes more important than ever and workplace equipment supplier Slingsby is reminding both employers and employees across all industries to ensure their safety clothing is clean, in good condition and fit for purpose. 

As part of The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992, high visibility clothing is a legal requirement across a huge range of industries and job roles where workers could be put at risk due to limited or poor visibility.
 
Any high visibility that is worn at work must conform to BS EN 471 and this is then divided into three different classes, depending on where and how the clothing will be worn, with Class 3 clothing offering maximum protection and Class 1 offering the lowest level of protection. In addition, high visibility clothing has two different levels of retroreflection performance with Level 2 being more visible than Level 1.
 
Slingsby supplies more than 35,000 workplace products across all industries, including a wide range of high visibility products.  Lee Wright, Group Sales and Marketing Director at Slingsby, explains: “High visibility clothing plays a key role when it comes to safety and making people stand-out in all types of environments and regardless of the weather or lighting. This is especially true at this time of year, when it’s often dark during the working day. 
 
“High visibility clothing that’s old and dirty can quickly lose a lot of its brightness and become ineffective so it’s vital that it’s washed regularly and kept in good condition.  Likewise, it’s also important to check the labels on this type of clothing to make sure it’s up to the job and complies with BS EN 471. Any clothing that lists BS EN 1150 is likely to be for leisure or sporting purposes and definitely has no place in a work environment.”      
 
Lee adds: “It’s also worth remembering that the responsibility for making sure high visibility clothing is clean and in good condition lies with the employer, rather than the employee.  Whenever this type of clothing is required, employers must supply it free of charge and also provide adequate storage facilities and ensure employees understand how and where to use it.” 
 
For further information about Slingsby, which continually strives to offer the UK’s lowest prices across its range of 35,000 products, call 0800 2944440 or visit www.slingsby.com