Hi Gina,

The standard only says "used correctly and maintained in a serviceable condition". Our rule of thumb is if it looks shabby or dirty then it needs to be replaced. As soon as the reflective strips start to disintegrate or stitching is coming off then its generally faded beyond fit for purpose so we issue new.
Hope that helps

Cheers
Rhonda

Hi Gina, I don't have the Standard to hand but attached is an article by NZ Safety that indicates that both AS/NZS 4602 and AS/NZS 1906.4 has criteria for minimum performance, so you may need to invest in a copy.

Hope it helps! Julie

Hi Gina,

We use NZ Safety Blackwoods as our PPE provider and they have a section in their catalog that states the distances. I do not have the catalog with me right now but maybe ring and ask for the clothing portion to be emailed to you?

The subject of high-vis PPE came up a few years ago in the old forum and prompted me to research some of the background material, but not this specific question.
There is an ISO standard (which I don't have) that says in the scope:
"ISO 20471:2013 specifies requirements for high visibility clothing which is capable of visually signalling the user's presence. The high visibility clothing is intended to provide conspicuity of the wearer in any light condition when viewed by operators of vehicles or other mechanized equipment during daylight conditions and under illumination of headlights in the dark.
Performance requirements are included for colour and retroreflection as well as for the minimum areas and for the placement of the materials in protective clothing".
Based on that I would agree that any high-vis gear that has become scruffy should be replaced.

The cost of the AS/NZS is a small investment compared to the risk faced. You need to ensure you comply with it. We have recently updated our uniform and used this as the standard for the hi vis component. I have both the standards if you want to contact me separately.

"when viewed by operators of vehicles or other mechanized equipment during daylight conditions and under illumination of headlights in the dark". We offer our operators annual eyesight checks.