The Best Class 2 and Class 3 Hi Visibility Safety Shirts

Hi-Vis reflective work shirts for added safety on work sites

At Y-pers, we get asked all the time for Hi Visibility Long Sleeve and Short Sleeve Shirts. Some customers know exactly what they are looking for, requesting specifically Class 2 Shirts or Class 3, while other customers just want something that is hi visibility lime. We thought it would be worthwhile to create a place where we educate and explain the differences in the high visibility materials and their properties.

What is high visibility clothing?

High visibility clothing, sometimes called Hi Viz or Hi Vis, are garments that are worn to increase an employee’s visibility while working in situations that are typically low light or hazardous. Hi visibility shirts and long sleeve shirts are often lime or orange in color as they are the brightest colors. Retroreflective material can be sewn onto the shirts to increase their visibility. Some reflective material is sewn while others are imprinted on. Imprinting tends to last longer and be more comfortable.

What are general purpose high visibility shirts?

Just because a shirt is high visibility lime or orange does not mean it is high visibility according to OSHA. There are many garments, such as general purpose lime t-shirts and vests with reflective material, that do not quality as either a class 1, class 2 or class 3 item’s because it is does meet the minimum requirement of reflective tape.

Here are some examples of General Purpose High Visibility shits:

What are Class 2 High Visibility Garments?

Class 2 High Visibility clothing are for working near heavy traffic, such as places where traffic flow may be greater than 25 mph. Class 2 garments have a minimum of 201 square inches of reflective tape.

Here are some examples of Class 2 Shirts:

What are Class 3 High Visibility Shirts?

Class 3 High Visibility Shirts are meant for those working in high-traffic areas where traffic may exceed 50 mph or those working at night. Employees should wear class 3 high visibility shirts that are as bright as possible to prevent injury. Class 3 items have a minimum of 310 square inches of reflective tape. Class 3 high visibility clothing also requires that the worker must have a full silhouette outline, meaning reflective material also be on the arm and/or legs.

Here are examples of Class 3 High Visibility Shirts:

If you want to make sure your employees stand out in high traffic and low-light areas, make sure they have the correct high visibility t-shirts and long sleeve shirts available. Additionally, all of the items we have are available with custom logo’s and imprinting. Just contact us and we can do a free mock-up for you.

In addition to our hi-vis reflective work shorts we a robust line of Safety Apparel, including safety vests, long sleeve safety shirts, rain gear, jackets and more. If you need other safety gear such as safety gloves, safety glasses or other personal protection check out our full line of safety products