HiVis Supply for all of your High Visibility Needs!

HiVis Supply is a reseller of high visibility apparel including ANSI approved clothing as well as a variety of hi-visibility traffic safety vests and incident command vests. We also carry high visibility jackets, windbreakers and rainwear. Our online store gives you access to the top brands including 3A Safety, ML Kishigo, Vinatronics, Checkers Industrial Products, Cornerstone, Cortina Safety Products Group, Flagstaff, KeepSafe, Marpac Corporation, MCR Safety-Memphis Glove, Safety Gear USA, Utility Pro Wear and Viz-Life.

We're proud to offer high visibility apparel for a variety of job duties like roadside construction, manufacturing, plant assembly, mining, surveying, forestry, power generator construction, shipyard construction, warehouse and facility maintenance, utilities department, sewer maintenance, electrical line construction, wind energy construction, ethanol and oil refinery and many others.

HiVis Supply offers great savings and product selection for helping you maintain a safe and OSHA/ANSI compliant work environment.

Thanks for your support in 2010. If you're new to HiVis Supply, we look forward to partnering with you in 2011! Be safe and highly visible!

The 7-in-1 All Conditions Jacket from SafetyGear™ by PIP

The 7-in-1 All Conditions Jacket is made for cold weather jacket and its versatility remains unmatched. This high visibility - high safety - and very warm utility jacket offers many options for safety and warmth. Changeable to all seasons, the SafetyGear™ coat can be worn as an ANSI Class 3 jacket - or remove the liner and wear it as a reversible, stand alone ANSI Class 2 vest. It offers a breathable outer shell and removable hood with an external phone pocket, fleece-lined collar on outer garment, velcro adjustable cuffs, zipper closure with storm flap, hand warmer pockets, D-rings for attaching identity tags and reflective 3M tape. the 7-in 1 is available in high-visibility orange or lime and runs the same price for sizes medium through 5XL. Its reflectivity makes it ANSI Class 3 compliant.

Protective Industrial Products focused on expanding its scope beyond hand protection and eyewear this year by introducing some innovative selections to the safety marketplace. “We’re in the middle of a big initiative that will complement our existing apparel offerings,” says Robin Roberts, Vice President of Sales. “We’re expanding our scope beyond hand protection.”

Over the last few years, Roberts says PIP has also strengthened its position in the visibility apparel space, again based on the exposure that such products have achieved in the European market. The manufacturer plans to further leverage that exposure with its newest additions.

Read the rest of the article, The “Head to Toe” Approach here.

 

HiVis Supply is proud to offer unique and forward thinking products for the hi-vis and safety industries. Visit HiVis Supply for all of your high visibility and safety needs. 

Anorak or Parka

In many parts of the country, different terminology is used for different things. There's the obvious ones like soda vs. pop, but what about when it comes to high visibility, or hi vis cold weather gear, like parka vs. anorak?

Wikipedia says that the words anorak and parka are now often used interchangeably, but when first introduced, they described somewhat different garments, and the distinction is still maintained by some.

Basically, an anorak is a waterproof jacket with a hood and drawstrings at the waist and cuffs, and a parka is a knee-length cold-weather jacket or coat; typically stuffed with down or very warm synthetic fiber, and with a fur-lined hood. Originally an anorak specifically implied a pull-over jacket without a zipper, button or frogged opening, but this distinction is now largely lost, and many garments with a full-length front opening are now described as anoraks. The anorak and parka have been developed from their traditional forms into a number of different designs using modern materials.

The word 'parka' is derived from the Nenets language meaning "animal skin". It first entered the English written record in a 1625 work by Samual Purchas.

The word 'anorak' comes from the Kalaallisut word anoraq, transliterated circa 1924. Its real meaning is "gay beaded item worn by Greenland women or brides in the 1930s". As a fashion statement, it was originally made from nylon, then poplin by 1960, when it featured in Vogue magazine as a fashion item.

350 Pro Series Parkas from HiVis Supply

The 350 Pro Series Parka has seam sealed construction with thermal insulation for added warmth. The parka features 2" 3M brand silver reflective tape. The storm cuff keeps wind and snow out of critical areas. Also includes a hidden collar hood and adjustable cuffs. Pockets: two outside lower slash pockets with zippers and storm flaps; one outside upper radio pocket; one hidden inside wallet pocket with storm flap; and on inside general pupose pocket. Parkas are available in both high visibility lime (9662) and orange (9663), in sizes M-5XL. ANSI/ISEA 107 Class 3 compliant.

Aphorisms in Surveying

These words of wisdom were shared by Dr. Dick Elgin in an article that appeared in the American Surveyor.

"For many years I have delivered to state surveyor association meetings a seminar on how to improve one's surveying business. Its current revision is based on my 36 years of education, training, experience, buying then operating and growing then selling a surveying and engineering business, and all the accompanying highs and lows that go with a career in surveying. During those 36 years I have collected sayings applicable to operating a surveying/engineering business. I include them in my seminar handouts, and thought perhaps the readers of The American Surveyor would enjoy them as well.

"My only regret is that I did not keep track of the sources of some of these sayings. Some I've heard for years, yelled across our surveying office by my late father (with great emphasis and effect). Others I've read or heard and modified. Others I'm sure are quotes attributable to someone, but I don't know which ones or to whom. To them the readers and I say `thanks for your insight and wisdom.'


• Call them before they call you.
• Under promise. Over deliver.
• Procrastination never solved a problem, it only made one get worse.
• You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
• People don't contract for services with people they don't know.
• Bad clients and bad projects go together.
• Surveyors are more trustworthy than their clients.
• If you don't have much work, it's not because you charge too much.
• Receivables older than 120 days are no longer receivables.
• If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?
• The surveyor's measurements don't end up as complaints to the Licensing Board; mis-communications or lack of communication with the client do.
• When you offend someone in business they will tell ten people. Do a good job they will tell one.
• Never lose an existing client.
• There are good jobs and there are bad jobs. Trust your gut. Don't do the bad jobs.
• I don't know of a surveying company that failed due to charging too much.
• An organization's morale flows from the top down.
• Character is what you are. Reputation is merely what others think you are.
• It's what you learn after knowing it all that counts.
• A leader leads by example whether he knows it or not.
• Leadership is action, not position.

• Don't meet problems as they come, anticipate them.

"These nuggets of wisdom apply to business as well as to life. Enjoy and apply."

A 169Kb PDF of this article as it appeared in the magazine—complete with images—is available by clicking HERE.

HiVis Supply is proud to serve the men and women surveyors of america, and want to keep them safe in the process. For high visibility surveying vests and other hi vis winter apparel, visit HiVis Supply.

High Visibility for Children/Officers Around the World

Children

They're already doing it in Grimsby (Somerset, England) - donning high visibility safety vests going to and from school. Holly, Theo and Billy Joe think the initiative is "a good idea." It may not be high fashion but a garment to make school pupils visible is aiming to reduce road accidents.

"It is an effective solution to reducing accidents. It's around about 30% or higher reduction in the number of children getting involved in a [road] accident.
"I think the visibility coats are a good idea because when it's dark and if you're coming home from school people will see you crossing the road and in the fog people will see you. So they're very useful. "And also they keep you warm in the snow," added Theo.

A Gloucestershire headline reads "Gloucestershire road safety figures lowest since 1974," and they're attributing these statistics to the increased use of hi-vis apparel along with "targeted road safety advice and training is working across the board," said Councillor Stan Waddington, cabinet member for road safety. Child safety is a leading issue in the US. - children wear safety helmets while riding bikes, so why not high visibility apparel to boot?

Well, at least at Halloween. The Maryland State Highway Administration made reflective safety vests available to parents and guardians of children to help prevent pedestrian accidents involving vehicles on Halloween, according to a news release from the agency (see "Reflective safety vests available for Halloween"). Representative Neil J. Pedersen said, “Unfortunately, on average, about 100 pedestrians are killed every year in traffic crashes in our state.”

Officers
During an inquest of a fatality of an officer in Auckland, the court was told that Mr. Wootton was not wearing a reflectorized safety jacket when he went to lay the spikes, most likely because he only had a matter of seconds to act. Although it was not known if a jacket would have changed the outcome for Mr Wootton, reports from the Department of Labour and the Independent Police Conduct Authority both recommended police review the policy for wearing the jackets.
The Department of Labour said it appeared that the requirement for the jackets to be worn was well known, but was not adhered to by all officers, with some saying they felt making themselves more visible might make them a target. However, Mr Smith said he did not believe there should be an option for officers not to wear them. "If an officer cannot safely wear a jacket and have time to deploy the road spikes safely, then they should simply abandon the exercise," he said.

Local councillor Roger Guy told BBC Radio's "Good Morning Scotland" program "the police cannot be everywhere, all the time." He added: "So if people in the communities are genuinely anxious about speeding motorists in their villages, or their neighborhood, then we're calling on them to volunteer." The BBC also reports that when residents of local towns are upset by constant speeding in their area, they should be willing to volunteer to shoot radar "Volunteers in high visibility vests to trap speeders." Chief Inspector John McDonald of Fife Constabulary said "road safety is everyone's concern." He said there had been "absolutely tremendous progress" in reducing road casualties across Fife in the past five years.

HiVis Supply is proud to offer high visibility apparel for a variety of job duties and officers and children around the world. HiVis Supply offers great savings and product selection for helping you maintain a safe and OSHA/ANSI compliant work environment and keeping those closest to you safe throughout the year. If you're looking for discounted safety equipment or identification products on sale, visit our web specials page or sign up for our email promotions.

ML Kishigo Featured in Inc. Magazine

For 30+ years, ML Kishigo has been developing smarter safety and high-vis apparel products that meet customers' specialized needs. They don't just meet standards in safety and high-vis apparel - they exceed them. Kishigo prides themselves in continual innovation, quality control checks and rigorous testing. ML Kishigo is your choice for traffic, construction, surveyor, public safety/incident command, fire-resistant, industrial, clean room and other high-visibility needs. Recently, ML Kishigo was features in the October issue of Inc. Magazine. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Safety vest - High-visibility vests are a must for airport ground crews, given that jet noise and protective ear coverings make it difficult to hear danger approaching. The bright-yellow color and reflective stripes on this vest, custom made for Delta by M.L. Kishigo in Santa Ana, California, help keep workers out of harm's way. CEO Loren Wall founded the company in 1973 and named it after his late wife, Mary Lou Kishigo. It has 95 employees and makes a full line of safety clothing for the construction, energy, and public safety industries.

HiVis Supply is proud to offer high visibility apparel for a variety of job duties like roadside construction, manufacturing, plant assembly, mining, surveying, forestry, power generator construction, shipyard construction, warehouse and facility maintenance, utilities department, sewer maintenance, electrical line construction, wind energy construction, ethanol and oil refinery and many others. HiVis Supply offers great savings and product selection for helping you maintain a safe and OSHA/ANSI compliant work environment. 

Hi Vis News from Around the World

Australia - New Honda road bike customers receive high visibility vest
Honda have long been advocates for motorcycle safety and are now giving away branded, high visibility vests with every new Honda motorcycle in an effort to address visibility issues all motorcyclists have to contend with.
The high quality design also offers a front zip closure as opposed to a standard velcro closure, with Honda logos on both front and back.
The vest is packaged in a Honda printed pouch with a recommended retail value of around $25.
“We have been considering for some time the most practical way that we can help riders to be safer on the road,” said Honda Australia’s General Manager, Motorcyles, Tony Hinton.
“Visibility is often noted as a factor in crashes involving cars and motorcyclists, and this is an area where we can encourage riders to do as much as possible to be seen, day or night.”
“We are seeing more and more riders wearing high vis clothing and vests, and felt that it would be an excellent value add item for anyone purchasing one of our motorcycles.”
Any customer who purchases a road registerable motorcycle across the Honda range from any dealer nationally will receive a vest.
Click here to read the original story.

 Spanish prostitutes wear yellow bibs to avoid police fines

Roadside prostitutes working on a roundabout outside the Spanish city of Lleida have begun wearing yellow reflective bibs to avoid fines from police.
The prostitutes have donned the high visibility vests, similar to those worn by road workers or drivers whose cars have broken down, to save themselves the €40 (£36) fines.
Police said they were not trying to get rid of the prostitutes, but were simply including them in a push to enforce use of the fluorescent bibs, which must be worn by anyone walking down a rural highway.
A police spokesman said: "In the past couple of months the prostitutes have been fined for two reasons: for not wearing the reflective jacket and for creating danger on the public highway."
Police say they have no other reason for fining the prostitutes, whose chosen spot on a roundabout of the LL-11 road falls just outside the municipal boundaries of Lleida – which recently banned street prostitution.
The move comes amid a wider debate over prostitution in Spain, where it thrives in a context that is part legal and part illegal. Scantily-clad sex workers can be seen on roads outside many cities, although only those in Lleida are believed to wear reflective jackets.
Click here to read the original story.

A Hi Vis Winter

Based on the National Weather Service’ Climate Prediction Center, here is a summary of the main factors which usually influence seasonal climates:

• El Nino and La Nina
• Trends – Approximated by the Optimal Climate Normals (OCN) Tool – difference between the most recent 10-year mean temperature or 15-year mean of precipitation and the 30-year climatology Period (currently 1971-2000)
• The Tropical 30-60 DAY oscillation – otherwise called the Madden Julian
• The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) And the Pacific North American (PNA) patterns
• The Pacific Decadal Oscillation(PDO)
• Persistently dry or wet soil in the summer and snow ice cover anomalies acting as a kind of memory system
• Statistical forecast tools
• Dynamical forecast models
• Consolidation (CON) - Makes optimum use of the known skills in our forecast tools

Based on the numbers provided, here are some of the November December January (NDJ) 3-month temperature outlooks:

• Below average temps over much of Alaska, Washington and coastal regions of Oregon and California
• The 3-month precipitation outlook calls for above average median precipitation almost through the Mississippi Valley
• In locations where the likelihoods of seasonal mean temps and rainfall are similar to probabilities, equal chances of low, mean, or high averages are likely

For graphical displays of forecasts http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/

 National Weather Service’ Climate Prediction Center http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/90day/fxus05.html  

Hi Vis Supply has a full line of high visibility winter jackets and rain gear for the winter months.

ANSI 107 FOR Hi Vis Gets Updated for 2010

The beginning of 2010 marked the highly anticipated revision to the 107-2004 High Visibility Standard. This Standard is updated every 5 years and is now labeled ANSI/ISEA 107-2010. It specifies performance requirements for high visibility safety apparel and headwear PPE. Specific performance requirements are included for:

• Color
• Retro-reflection and minimum areas
• Recommended configurations of the materials and design

Below is an outline of the primary differences between ANSI/ISEA107-2010, and the previous ANSI/ISEA 107-2004 Standard.

GARMENT DESIGN AND REFLECTIVE PLACEMENT - A class 1 or a class 2 garment must now have reflective material in the shoulder area, which provides greater visibility when a worker is bending over, or at angles that could be potentially missed on a garment without “vertical” reflective material over the shoulders.

FLAME RESISTANT (FR) LABELING - The 107-2004 standard did not address flame resistant labeling. ANSI 107-2010 requires all flame resistant garments to be tested within at least 1 of 7 ASTM or NFPA test methods, including a description of the flame resistance criteria. If a manufacturer wants to mark high visibility apparel as being FR, the garment must meet one of the FR tests in the 107-2010 Standard and certify its conformance to the FR requirement. For specific test methods, a copy of the new 107-2010 Standard can be purchased directly from the ISEA.

RAINWEAR – There have been new testing requirements added for rainwear. Three different test methods will define rainwear as either water repellant, water resistant or water proof.

GARMENT SERVICE LIFE GUIDELINES - ANSI 107-2010 also attempts to help users determine garment service life. Areas to consider are:

• garment use
• type of garment
• environment
• laundering methods
• exposure to the environment

In addition, it references the U.S. Federal Highway Administration statement about high-visibility life expectancy. (Federal Register/Vol. 71 No. 226/Friday, November 24, 2006/rules and regulations/p. 67798

Hi-Vis Bombers

With America's infrastructure in the process of receiving a much needed facelift, there is also a growing need for more highway and roadside workers. Even while highway worker fatalities have decreased each year since 2007 (from almost 1,250 to nearly 750) safer work zones are absolutely necessary to keep this positive trend.

Fundamental issues for increasing highway worker safety include:

trained workers - for engaging in high-traffic and setting up control devices

planning - routes, spotters and utility areas to avoid

speed control - flaggers, postings, law enforcement

lighting - for working at night

separation devices - use based on speed and alignment of traffic pattern

hi-visibility apparel - for differentiation from traffic, equipment and at hard to see times (dusk and dawn)

Workers need gear such as these water-repellent bombers that keep you warm, dry and visible. What's more, they're ANSI/ISEA 107 Class 3 compliant - meaning their usable in the most high speed conditions. These economy jackets are designed with a "stow-away" hidden collar hood and four pockets - 2 outside pockets, including a chest radio pocket and a right chest multi-use pocket with a zipper closure for extra warmth. Great protection and a great value.

High Visibility for End of Summer

Stay cool and protect yourself from the sun with an ANSI Class 3 Micro-Fiber long sleeve shirt. This shirt features Ultra-Cool™ micro-fiber polyester material with 2" wide Super Lite silver reflective stripes and (1) left breast pocket. Available in Lime and Orange; M-5XL.
ANSI Class 3 garments allow a worker full range of duties while keeping them safe when working with backgrounds not conducive to good visibility. Class 3 visibility surpasses Class 2 with background and retro-reflective reflective material added to the arms and/or legs – for areas with vehicle speeds above 50 mph.

These garments are designed for vehicles and equipment to be able to fully identify a workers complete body. This new ANSI Class 3 standard defining body requirement is in support of the MUTCD definition of night time and inclement conditions.

ANSI Class 3 apparel is typically used by roadway construction personnel and flaggers, utility workers, survey crews and emergency response personnel - in dangerous conditions with high-speed driving, equipment, large operations and nighttime viewing.

HiVisSupply is dedicated to serving those men and women who continuously and courageously work in hazardous conditions for the sake, ease and benefit of others.

HiVis for Oil Spill Crews Even at Night

As the BP Oil response continues, workers don high-visibility and hi-reflectivity gear even at night. This image was taken off the beaches of Pensacola, Florida. And as recently as July, beaches were closed due to oil impacts. Efforts were made to have the shorelines of Florida, Alabama and Louisiana cleared for the holidays, but effects were far more damaging in many areas. Permanent booms have been installed in some areas, rock barriers as well as sand washing systems have been used, and good old-fashioned shovel clean-up crews work night and day on the mess made by the Deepwater Horizon.

ANSI Class 1, 2 and 3 vests are available for oil responders, contaminated beach and shoreline clean-up crews and other workers helping to alleviate the stresses on wildlife affected by this disaster. As Floridians, we are greatful to those who are tirelessly working to preserve the Gulf Coast's natural habitat, it's ecosystem and the economy surrounding off-shore enterprises.

Safety Crackdown - Buzzed and Impaired Driving

Today, texting while driving is getting all of the attention on America's roadways. States are implementing laws and associations are trying to change the way we think about cell-phone use in general. But a major concern for the nation's drivers and road workers is still buzzed and impaired driving, and if you plan to hit the road this summer, know that enforcement officers ARE out there and they WILL find you. 

Impaired driving continues to be one of the deadliest crimes in America. In 2008, there were 11,773 deaths due to alcohol - nearly 1/3 of all traffic fatalities in the US. These drivers all had blood alcohol levels of .08 or higher. This means there was an average of one alcohol-impaired-driving fatality every 45 minutes. Thankfully, that number is down from 13,041 in 2007 - but it's not enough.  

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has formed a national strategy to stop impaired driving and created programs across the United States that aid motorists in the reporting of impaired drivers to law enforcement. You will notice an increasing amount of officers patrolling with increased prosecution for offenders.

HiVis Supply would like to remind all drivers and road workers out there that safety is important to us all, because at the end of the day, especially during vacation, getting home to our loved ones is what's important. HiVis is dedicated to keeping road workers safe by providing hi-visibility products and gear that get people noticed and keep them safe. Have a great summer, and stay safe.

Hi-Vis for Gulf Oil Spill Response

Use of hi-visibility clothing has been readily evident with gulf oil spill workers and clean-up crew in response to the BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster back in April. Since then, environmental clean-up, contaminated water and Florida, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana shoreline workers have been tasked to alleviate all signs of the oil spill from contaminated beaches and coastal waterways, and posting beach closure signs, oil spill clean-up signs, no water contact signs and oil spill response signs.

Hi-visibility gear allows workers to be seen even in low-light conditions as crews work in the early morning hours and well into the night often in very bright and dangerous conditions. The use of hi-reflectivity gear also denotes workers from civilians and allows managers to keep tabs on their employees.

HiVis Supply salutes these men and women who are working diligently around the clock to help wildlife survive this catastrophe and ease the burden on our precious coastal ecosystems. There is no way to determine at this time how long the BP oil spill will contaminate our environment, close our beaches and shut down water operations, or to what degree the 2010 oil spill will affect our lives in the years to come. Only time will tell, and we’re here to help.

ANSI 207 HiVis for Public Safety

Use of the term Public safety organization reasonably implies that the organization is composed of law enforcement or public safety personnel. Terms used to describe these occupations usually include officer, peace officer, police officer, police, law enforcement, reserve officer, deputy, deputy sheriff, constable, deputy constable, fireman, firefighter, volunteer fireman and/or emergency medical service provider, paramedics and search and rescue workers.

US federal law states that all personnel working on a highway that is eligible for federal funds to wear a hi-vis vest starting on November 25, 2008. Firefighters are excluded while engaged in firefighting activities or hazardous materials (hazmat) situations. Otherwise, hi-visibility clothing must be worn. Also, paramedics and police officers not engaged in law enforcement activities are required by law to wear high visibility clothing.

In 2006, ANSI released the 207-2006, or American National Standard for High-Visibility Public Safety Vests, in response to issues raised by public safety officials with respect to the ANSI 107 vest design. Their concerns were both tactical and influenced by a need to differentiate between law enforcement/emergency personnel and the vests worn by construction workers. The changes have different requirements for fluorescent background material, specifically allowing for a shorter design that allows equipment belt access. It also includes many optional features, such as a 5-point breakaway design for easy removal, panels readily identifying the wearer as an emergency responder, and radio and badge pockets/holders.

These vests features an upper mesh, color coded fabric for proper public service department identification along with a hi-vis solid fabric bottom. Each vest includes: left chest mic tab, pencil pocket and inside large lower patch pocket. Breakaway shoulders and sides with tear away zipper front closure. The vest folds into the large inside pocket to become a self enclosed pouch for storage. The vests also offers 4-season adjustability to accomodate bulky coats. Available in sizes M/XL and 2XL/4XL.

HiVis Supply is a reseller of high visibility apparel including: ANSI approved clothing, safety vests, traffic vests, hivis vests, ANSI Class 2, ANSI Class 3, ANSI 107-2004, ANSI 207, ANSI Class E, public safety vests, incident command vests, specialty vests, survey vests, safety pants, high visibility t-shirts, high visibility jackets, sweatshirts, coats, windbreakers and rainwear.

Road Construction and Workzone Hazards

Highway crews routinely work in hazardous conditions, near construction vehicles and motor vehicle traffic. Flaggers and other workers on foot are exposed to the risk of being struck by traffic vehicles or construction equipment if they are not visible to motorists or equipment operators. Drivers who operate construction vehicles or equipment risk collision, rolling, and being caught in running equipment. Regardless of their assigned job, lighting can be poor with low visibility and bad weather, and exposure to high traffic congestion and speeds is imminent.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHA) has developed and maintained the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which provides for uniform design and setup of highway work zones. The primary focus of Part 6 of the MUTCD is the interaction between the road user and the work zone. The MUTCD contains exhaustive specifications for signage, pavement and curb markings, traffic signals, and marking of school zones, bicycle facilities and highway-rail crossings. It outlines temporary traffic control measures for lane closures and shifts, detours, shoulder work, median crossovers, mobile operations, and blasting. The MUTCD also addresses topics such as training, personal protective equipment (PPE), speed reduction, barriers, and lighting, as they apply to highway construction. It also provides for uniform design and setup of highway work zones, and includes guidance for the development of temporary traffic control plans (TCPs) that determine the flow of traffic through work zones.

OSHA construction industry regulations address operation of vehicles and equipment within an off-highway job site not open to public traffic. It does cover types of machinery and safety equipment, but it does not address work practices, traffic control plans, or shift work. Flagging and signaling practices are discussed in general which also covers signs, signals, and barricades.

Compliance with the MUTCD and OSHA regulations is a necessary first step in providing a safe work environment, but lacks comprehensive guidance to ensure worker safety in highway work zones. To help identify these gaps in standards and regulations and to compile additional prevention measures to enhance worker safety, NIOSH undertook a comprehensive review of scientific literature, fatality and injury data, and current safety research.

Between OSHA, MUTCD and NIOSH standards and guidelines, a properly defensed workzone can often seem a daunting task. At HiVis Supply, we offer high visibility apparel and safety vests for the worker and traffic control devices for the workzone that can ensure a safe environment for those men and women paving the way for us all.

Roll-Up Construction Signs

MUTCD Standard:
The needs and control of all road users (motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians within the highway, including persons with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), Title II, Paragragh 35.130) through a TTC (temporary traffic control) zone shall be an essential part of highway construction, utility work, maintenance operations, and the management of traffic incidents.
CONSTRUCTION signs are orange diamonds specifically used only to WARN drivers about construction and work zone activity.
Quick to set up and highly visible, roll-up signs provide temporary warning along roads, danger areas, and construction sites. Easy to take down and roll up for compact storage and portability.
Constructed of lightweight, flexible fabric, these safety-orange signs have contrasting black messages and symbols from the Standard Highway Signs Manual, as specified in the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). They provide temporary warnings of roadway changes and hazards ahead.
These diamond shaped signs are available each in 36" x 36" or 48" x 48" in three fabrics:
• Non-Reflective Mesh is PVC extruded over polyster strands, ideal for daytime applications.
• Fluorescent Vinyl is non-reflective fabric-reinforced, UV stable vinyl with bright fluorescence for daytime use only.
• Reflective Vinyl is high-intesity, retro-reflective sheeting bonded to vinyl-coated, fiber-reinforced nylon fabric, ideal for attention-getting and low-light conditions.
For these and other available traffic, roadside workzone devices, and all of your hi-visibility needs, visit hivissupply.com.

School Crossing Guards

Safety is an important issue for everyone, but an often overlooked occupation where workers put their lives on the line every day - well, one every school day - is the often un-noticed, and under-appreciated, school crossing guard.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) defines a crossing guard as someone who directs traffic (both pedestrian and vehicular) on streets, at schools, and at railroad crossings and construction sites. In 2007, there were an estimated 70,000 school crossing guards employed nationally, and in the years between 1993 to 2006, there were 97 school crossing guard fatalities, or almost 7 a year. This may not seem like a lot of deaths, but these men and women put their lives on the line each day to keep our children safe.

Additionally, the state of Florida reports that in 2006, 39% of all 16 and under pedestrian fatalities occurred between 3 and 7 pm. Of the 516 fatalities, 104, or (20%) were pedestrians - usually children. In an effort to lower these numbers, the state trains crossing guards to:
• Use proper crossing techniques consistently
• Encourage patterns of proper crossing behavior by students
• Deter students from committing unsafe/unlawful acts
• Recognize and report hazardous conditions
• Take proper actions in an emergency
• Know their responsibilities and limitations of authority
• Exhibit professionalism and instill confidence
• Earn students’ respect

In a New Jersey report, other factors attributing to motor-vehicle related injuries include among school crossing guards include:
• Unsafe driving
• Parents rushing to and through the school zone
• Distracted driving including cell phones, eating, drinking and smoking

As parents, let's respect school crossing guards, the men and women who serve our children every day and make sure they get to cross the street safely. As drivers, let's start paying attention to school zones, and wait to send that text message, or wait to eat the fast food when we get home.

For more information checkout this pdf from the state of New Jersey
Or this pdf from the state of Florida

At HiVis Supply, we are proud to resell high visibility apparel including incident command vests, safety vests, and traffic vests, as well as traffic safety accessories and ANSI compliant vests for crossing guards, pedestrian crossing and speed limit signs.

The Basics of Surveying

Surveying is defined as the art, science, and technology of detecting the relative position of points at, above, or below the surface of the earth; or establishing such points. Ultimately, a surveyor determines land boundaries. They also determine boundaries of roads to be built, help make sure skyscrapers are being erected vertically and measure airports so that the runways are perfectly aligned and smooth. Land surveying is commonly, and comically, referred to as the world's second-oldest profession.
Surveyors also map:
- topography of land for engineering design
- establish elevations of home sites for flood insurance
- perform title surveys for real estate transactions
- certify that structures are built according to design
- lay out buildings and subdivisions
- map river bottoms for dredging
- lay out photo control for aerial photography and photogrammetry
- write legal descriptions to describe pieces of property
- map and layout corridors for tunnels, roads, airports, pipelines, cellular networks and railroads
Being a surveyor means having a full understanding of the inexactness, uncertainty, and variable nature of measurement. This creates the professional attitude needed to constantly seek new evidence, and consequently a higher probability of approaching the truth or proving something with confidence. As an analyst of both measurement data and boundary location evidence, the surveyor is in a position to develop a keen sensitivity to the importance of finding and applying the truth.


For more information used in this article and downloadable pdf's:
Oregon DOT/Geometronics pdf
Ferris Basics of Surveying pdf
Harrelson Basics of Surveying pdf
Surveying Equipment pdf

HiVis Supply is a reseller of high visibility apparel including: ANSI approved clothing, safety vests, traffic vests, incident command vests, specialty vests, survey vests, high visibility t-shirts, high visibility jackets, sweatshirts, coats, windbreakers and rainwear.

Coal Mining Most Frequently Cited Standard of 2010

The accumulation of combustible materials in coal mines leads all violations in the last 90 days with 2,197 violations, or 11.52% of all violations.

From the Mine Safety and Health Administration, www.msha.gov, 30 CFR § 75.400:
Coal dust, including float coal dust deposited on rock-dusted surfaces, loose coal, and other combustible materials, shall be cleaned up and not be permitted to accumulate in active workings, or on diesel- powered and electric equipment therein.
[61 FR 55527, Oct. 25, 1996]

For an explosion to occur, there are five necessary elements which must occur simultaneously: fuel, heat, oxygen, suspension, and confinement. These form the five sides of the Explosion Pentagon. Like the fire triangle, removing any one of these requirements would prevent an explosion from propagating. For example, if fuel, heat, oxygen, and confinement occurred together in proper quantities, an explosion would still not be possible without the suspension of the fuel. However, in this case, a fire could occur. If the burning fuel were then placed in suspension by a sudden blast of air, all five sides of the explosion pentagon would be satisfied and an explosion would be imminent.

HiVis Supply www.hivissupply.com is proud to offer high visibility apparel for a variety of job duties like roadside construction, manufacturing and mining. We offer great savings and product selection for helping you maintain a safe and OSHA/ANSI compliant work environment.

Personal Safety Lites

Personal Safety Lites are perfect for a multitude of applications. Parents, use these lights to draw attention to children by wearing an armband or attaching directly to book bags, jackets, belts, bicycles or scooters. And adults can increase their visibility when walking, jogging or bicycling during low light or dark conditions.

Safety on the jobsite for construction workers and road crews, traffic control personnel, or for anyone who needs to be seen in low light or no light conditions is always an important issue. Personal Safety Lites are visible for a distance of approximately ½ mile, and over a mile in the right conditions.

Polycarbonate lenses are not scratch-resistant but are very difficult to break and will not shatter. The housing assembly is also made of a durable polymer to withstand damage.

LED’s have:
- Extended lifetime - most rated to 100,000 hours
- Energy savings in many applications
- Reduced heat output
- Brighter, more intense colors

The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard maintains that LED lights cannot be used in place of chemical flares for broken down vehicles, however, they can be used as supplemental warning devices “in addition to...the required warning devices*, provided those warning devices do not decrease the effectiveness of the required warning devices.” Required warning devices include three bi-directional emergency reflective triangles that conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 125, §571.125; or at least 6 fusees or 3 liquid burning-flares.

Personal Safety Lites can be attached to oversize loads or when used in traffic control applications. Construction companies and DOT flaggers use these lights in various applications and other environments requiring a highly visible signaling device.

Incident Command

The Incident Command System was originally established in California in response to natural disasters, and the complications of several agencies trying to cooperate to effectively cope with these disasters and save lives. A unified Incident Command eliminated structural and communication problems associated with agency cooperation during a national crisis.
Concepts of Incident Command include:
- Unity of Command
- Universal Terminology
- Management by Objective
- Flexible and Modular Organization
- Span-of-Control
Concepts were then integrated into the National Incident Management System (NIMS) in 2003.

NIMS is a comprehensive, national approach to incident management that is applicable at all jurisdictional levels and across functional disciplines. It is intended to:
- Be applicable across a full spectrum of potential incidents, hazards, and impacts, regardless of size, location or complexity
- Improve coordination and cooperation between public and private entities in a variety of incident management activities
- Provide a common standard for overall incident management
FEMA's NIMS Resource center details a:
- Five-Year NIMS Training Plan
- NRF Integrated Emergency Management Course (IEMC)
- NIMS Courses

Road Construction Across the Nation

ARRA By The Numbers

As of January 7, 2010:
- 1,125 bridges had been improved, replace or newly constructed
- 21,400 miles of pavement were either improved, resurfaced or widened
- 1,700 miles of safety traffic management projects were implemented
- Over 630 miles of bike lanes, sidewalks or environmental mitigation projects underway
- 7,450 buses have been purchased and 1,637 bus shelters constructed
Real People Are Working Real Jobs
- 280,000 direct, on-project jobs have been created or sustained across the country
- Total employment from these projects, which includes direct, indirect, and induced jobs, reaches almost 890,000 jobs.
Visit the Projects and Paychecks website.


Workzone Fatalities - Click image for downloadable pdf.

Secretary LaHood Announces Funding for Over 50 Innovative, Strategic Transportation Projects through Landmark Competitive TIGER Program

One year to the day after President Obama signed the historic American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) into law, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood will announce Recovery Act awards to states, tribal governments, cities, counties and transit agencies across the country to fund 51 innovative transportation projects. The U.S. Department of Transportation required rigorous economic justifications for projects more than $100 million and will require all recipients to report on their activities on a routine basis.

ASTM Standard Covers Sustainable Use of Recycled Asphalt Pavement

Developed by Subcommittee D18.14 on Geotechnics of Sustainable Construction, proposed standard ASTM WK26824 is an important step in guiding federal, state, and local highway agencies, contractors, material suppliers, and consultants on sustainable use of recycled asphalt pavement. According to Haifang Wen, Ph.D., use of recycled materials reduces need for virgin materials and disposal of existing materials and can protect the environment, reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.Click the image to go to the ASTM website.

HiVis In the News

Ronald Gary Taunton, a 20-year employee of East Alabama Paving in Opelika, died instantly after he was run over by a dump truck. Authorities believe Taunton was directing heavy equipment on a work site with the highway department when he apparently failed to move out from behind a Lee County truck as it was backing up. Authorities reported that Taunton was wearing his safety vest and the backup alarm on the truck was working properly.
The coroner said in a press release that the incident is being investigating “as an accident” by Auburn police, the coroner’s office and the Alabama Medical Examiner’s Office.

Comprehensive Safety Analysis
Starting in the summer of 2010, FMCSA will implement comprehensive safety analysis 2010 CSA 2010, which is designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of FMCSA’s enforcement and compliance program.

How Will This Change Affect Drivers?
* Unsafe carrier and driver behaviors that lead to crashes will be identified and addressed
* All safety-based roadside inspection violations will count, not just Out-of-Service (OOS) violations
* Drivers will be more accountable for safe on-road performance — good news for drivers with strong safety performance records





What can drivers do to prepare for the change?
1) Know and follow safety rules and regulations - CMV safe driving tips
2) Become knowledgeable about the new Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs) and how FMCSA will assess safety under CSA 2010
3) Keep copies of inspection reports
4) Learn about employers’ safety records
5) Visit the CSA 2010 website

Road Work Safety and Transportation - In the News

In the single worst economic time since the depression, job-loss reportings that are lower than expected become overall good news. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has estimated December 2009 job losses at 84,000, a little higher for the month than expected, but the Portland Cement Association (PCA) final quarter job loss predictions of 861,000 are far higher than actual 501,000 for the final quarter of 2009 as reported on Jan. 14th by Site Prep magazine.

The DOT’s Secretary LaHood said that the Obama administration’s approved $79 billion dollar budget promotes safety in a number of areas, starting with a new $50 million grant incentive program to the states to combat distracted driving. Since Secretary LaHood convened a national Distracted Driving Summit last fall, he has undertaken a nationwide campaign to put an end to the deadly epidemic.

More than half of U.S. highway fatalities are related to deficient roadway conditions – a substantially more lethal factor than drunk driving, speeding or non-use of safety belts – according to the Transportation and Construction Coalition (TCC) and the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE). Ten roadway-related crashes occur every minute (5.3 million a year) and also contribute to 38 percent of non-fatal injuries. The report also found that deficiencies in the roadway environment contributed to more than 22,000 fatalities and cost $217 billion annually.

Analysis of crash costs on a state-by-state basis.

The 10 states with the:

Highest total cost from crashes involving deficient road conditions are (alphabetically): Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.

Highest road-related crash costs per million vehicle miles of travel are: Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Highest road-related crash costs per mile of road are: California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and South Carolina.

FHWA Ruling on ANSI/ISEA Garments for Public Safety Personnel

FHWA Mandates High-visibility Safety Apparel Meeting ISEA Standards for All Workers in Highway Rights-of-Way, Workzones

The 2009 revision to the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), published by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) yesterday, requires workers, including emergency responders, along highway rights-of-way or in workzones to wear high-visibility apparel whenever they are exposed to moving traffic, work vehicles or construction equipment. The apparel must meet Performance Class 2 or 3 requirements of ANSI/ISEA 107-2004, the American National Standard for High Visibility Safety Apparel and Headwear. This requirement also applies to firefighters, emergency responders and law enforcement personnel working within the right-of-way. As an option, emergency responders and law enforcement personnel may wear garments that meet the standard for high-visibility public safety vests, ANSI/ISEA 207-2006. A separate section of the MUTCD, which covers specific requirements for flaggers, also requires the use of ANSI/ISEA 107-compliant apparel, and specifies that background material must be fluorescent orange-red, fluorescent yellow-green “or a combination of the two as specified in the ANSI standard.” Previously, the FHWA only required workers in federal-aid highway workzones to use these garments.
The revised MUTCD states: “All workers, including emergency responders, within the right-of-way who are exposed to traffic (vehicles using the highway for purposes of travel) or to work vehicles and construction equipment within the [Temporary Traffic Control] zone shall wear high-visibility safety apparel that meets the Performance Class 2 or 3 requirements of the ANSI/ISEA 107-2004 publication entitled ‘American National Standard for High-Visibility Safety Apparel and Headwear’ (see Section 1A.11) or equivalent revisions, and labeled as meeting the ANSI 107-20004 standard performance for Class 2 or 3 risk exposure, except as provided in paragraph 5… Emergency and incident responders and law enforcement personnel within the [Temporary Traffic Control] zone may wear high-visibility safety apparel that meets the performance requirements of the ANSI/ISEA 207-2006 publication entitled ‘American National Standard for High-Visibility Public Safety Vests’ (see Section 1A.11) or equivalent revisions, and labeled as ANSI 207-2006, in lieu of ANSI/ISEA 107-2004 apparel…”
The revised MUTCD takes effect January 15, 2010. Workers on non-federal highways will have to be in compliance with the high-visibility safety apparel requirements by December 31, 2011. Read more and find links to the relevant federal documents under “ISEA News” at www.safetyequipment.org