What type of hi visibility vest do you need?

HiVis Supply has a created a new High Visibility Workwear search guide to help you find the right vest. Get started, and let us help you find the vest that meets all your job requirements.

There are many considerations when searching for the right hivis vest. Depending on your job site, or if you’re on the roadway, you may be required to wear a certain high-vis vest style including ANSI class 2 vests, ANSI class 3 vests - even non-ANSI vests. Let us show you the difference between each style, and which environment requires which high-vis vest.

Most safety vests are available in orange or lime vests for high visibility. These are the brightest and perform the best. There are also many brands of safety vests. You can stick with one brand for all of your safety vests needs, or pick different brands for different vest types. HiVisSupply has many brands to choose from including 3A Safety, Cornerstone, Ergodyne, Flagstaff, ML Kishigo, Safety Gear USA, Utility Pro Wear and Vinatronics.

Some jobs require special vest designs. The most common vest designs are flame-resistant FR, surveyor and emergency responder. See our safety vest guide to see if there is a design that works best for your specific job. The closure type is another consideration for your safety vests. Velcro closures make removing vests quicker, while zipper closure keep your pockets more secure.

It may seem like your safety vest options are endless. With HiVis Supply, your perfect vest is just a call or click away!

ANSI Class 3 X-Back Microfiber T-Shirt

This ANSI Class 3 X-back t-shirt, from ML Kishigo, features Ultra-Cool microfiber polyester material for comfort and performance. The shirt's X-back design also provides enhanced visibility by allowing oncoming motorist to differentiate which direction you are facing. Other features include 2" wide silver reflective stripes and a left chest pocket. The microfiber polyester material wicks away moisture - helping to keep you both dry and cool. Available in high visibility Lime; M-5XL. ANSI/ISEA 107 Class 3 compliant.

National Work Zone Awareness Week Begins

Here's a great article by Accuform Signs' Ashley Price, Merchandising Manager and blogger at Notable Regulations. You can email her with any questions regarding this or past blog posts.

Imagine showing up to work every day and being faced with the constant danger of speeding, distracted motorists whizzing by only mere feet from you while also being surrounded by a bustle of heavy equipment, materials and machinery. This is “the office” for workers building and improving our American roadways.

This week (April 23-27) is the 13^th annual National Work Zone Awareness Week. Started in 1999, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in coordination with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), sponsor the week-long event that strives to spread awareness of the myriad of dangers in highway work zones. Many states are also now hosting their own Work Zone Awareness events.

This year’s national kick-off event will be hosted by the Missouri Department of Transportation on Route 141 where a relocation project is underway near St. Louis to upgrade the three-lane road to a six-lane freeway. Missouri was chosen because of their level of commitment to work zone awareness. The theme chosen for this year’s awareness week is “Don’t Barrel Through Work Zones! Drive Smart to Arrive Alive”.

In 2010, there were 576 work zone fatalities that resulted from 514 fatal motor vehicle crashes, with 80% being the vehicle operators and passengers and 20% workers, pedestrians and cyclists. On the up-side, those numbers are down and have been decreasing steadily over the years. Work zone fatalities are actually decreasing at a faster rate than overall highway fatalities - proof of the national and state-level commitment to safer roads and programs like the National Work Zone Awareness Week. Let's give our support to continuing to reduce fatalities and injuries on our nation's roadways. Consider participating in awareness week at your place of business and even in your home.

So, as you drive through any of the thousands of work zones across our country today, remember to slow down - for you, for your family, for workers, for the families who could lose a parent, a child, a sibling, a friend. As we here at Accuform Signs say, "Safety is a Family Value".
For more information about the National Work Zone Awareness Week and for more resources visit:

• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA): http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/outreach/wz_awareness.htm
• American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA): http://www.atssa.com/NewsPR/NationalWorkZoneAwarenessWeek.aspx

For information on national regulations and policies governing work zone safety, visit: http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/resources/policy.htm
Work Zone Fatalities Charts Source: National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse and US DOT Federal Highway Administration

Class 2 T-Shirt with Flat Stitch Panels

This ANSI Class 2 t-shirt, from ML Kishigo, takes comfort and contrast to a new level. The flat-stitched contrast panels improve daytime visibility and significantly improves comfort and coolness over standard layered contrasting panels. The shirt is constructed from microfiber polyester material that wicks away moisture - keeping you dry and cool. The shirts also feature 2" silver reflective material and left chest pocket. Available in both high visibility Lime and Orange. Sizes M-5XL. ANSI/ISEA 107 Class 2 compliant.

HiVisSupply 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. 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.

Minimum Sign Retroreflectivity Timeline

Deadlines were established in 2007 to implement minimum levels of retroreflectivity for signage per the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).

Maintaining Minimum Retroreflectivity

1. January 22, 2012: By this date, roadway owners must adopt a plan to ensure that their signs meet Minimum Levels of Retroreflectivity by the dates cited below. The FHWA lists 5 options, among which are simple visual inspection and blanket replacement of groups of signs at the end of their “useful life” as stated by the manufacturer.

2. January 22, 2015: Regulatory and Warning Signs and Post-Mounted Signs must meet retroreflectivity requirements.

3. January 22, 2018: Overhead and Street Name signs must meet retroreflectivity requirements. If street name signs meet retroreflectivity requirements and are all CAPITAL letters, they may remain in service for the remainder of their useful life. They never have to be changed out only because of the capital letter/mixed case issue.

FHWA estimated the cost for making these retroreflectivity improvements throughout the entire United States to be $37 million dollars over a 10 year period. The reason that this figure is lower than some estimates reported in the media is that the implementation timetable detailed above was designed to roughly coincide with the useful life of existing signs. Thus, it is likely that most of them would have been replaced anyway.

For more information, check out the Sign Retroreflectivity Toolkit.

Also, check out the FHWA Sign Visibility page.

Fleece Lined Bomber Jacket

The fleece lined bomber jacket from ML Kishigo is ANSI/ISEA Class 3 compliant, and features a durable, waterproof shell with a fleece liner and fleece lined hood. In addition to the high visibility color material, the jacket also utilizes black material in the areas which most commonly get dirty - helping the jacket maintain a bright and clean appearance. The fleece lined hood is both removable and can also be hidden. Also includes, 2" wide 3M Scotchlite reflective material, right chest wallet pocket, left chest radio pocket, zipper slash side pockets and drawstring hood. Available in high visibility Lime and Orange; sizes M-5XL.


HiVis Supply is a reseller of high visibility apparel including ANSI approved clothing, safety vests and traffic vests for a variety of job duties like roadside construction, manufacturing and plant assembly.

5 tips for Winter Driving Safety

With autumn waning, and winter just around the corner, driving becomes a major factor in road and safety awareness. Keeping your automobile in good working condition over the winter months allows for a higher degree of safety, and staying visible is no flippant task.

Pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and drivers all need to do their part because seeing each other is the first tenant of safety. Hi visibility safety vests should be worn by walkers, cyclists, school crosswalk workers, road-side construction and first responder teams.

Here are some simple precautions drivers can take in reference to maintenance and driving safety:

Get a tune-up – Avoid, to the best of your ability, having roadside issues in the first place. Maintaining a vehicle will lessen the chances of becoming stranded, thereby creating a dangerous situation.

Use your lights – In some countries, they use their headlights at all times, and why not? It’s just a simple habit that you could get into, but especially in the darker, winter months.

Check your tires – Wear and tear on your tires happens in the summer months as well, but remember, tires are your only contact with the road. In the winter, not only rainy but slushy and snowy wintry weather adds to the driving danger.

Have your brakes checked – You may need to stop readily, and having your brakes in tip-top condition is crucial. Luckily, sometimes all you need are pads replaced, and replacement of pads saves the discs. Maintaining your brakes will save you a lot of money over the long haul also.

Maintain a safe distance – This one goes hand in hand with having your brakes checked. When you have good brakes, you know that you can stop when you need to – in perfect conditions. But in wintry weather, conditions are often wet, slippery and icy, causing brake distances to be longer. Stay further back than you regularly would and remember to look ahead of the car you’re immediately behind.

Hi Vis Supply is dedicated to serving the public through safety education but also by providing solutions to keep you safe when visibility is low – whether you’re taking a walk, cleaning a parking lot or repairing America’s road system. Check out these and other products for pedestrian and driver safety.

"Texting While Driving Kills."

On Wednesday, May 19, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was joined by US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin, US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, and FocusDriven founder and President Jennifer Smith. Together they announced a Global Call to Action on Ending Distracted Driving.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urgently insisted “We Must Instill a Culture of Road Safety.”

He then proceeded to give some statistics on car fatalities:

• 1.2 million people around the world die in car accidents
• Nearly 50,000,000 injuries
• 90% are from low or little income countries

Car accidents are now the top global killer of young people ages 15-19 with factors that include:

• High speeds
• Drunk driving
• No seat belt or child restraint used
• No motorcycle helmet used

The General Secretary stated that, "Use of a mobile phone while driving increases the risk of a crash by 4 times, (while in) some countries 90% of drivers report using mobile phones while driving.
"Culturally," he said, "We must make 'distracted driving unacceptable' by the government and socially unacceptable to the public.
“I want every driver in the world to get the message, ‘Texting while driving kills.’”

The UN initiative will work to promote road safety and while prohibiting nearly 40,000 UN employees from texting while driving UN vehicles. The UN General Assembly has also declared a “Decade of Action for Road Safety,” including a message to all drivers of the world; “Don’t let using a mobile for a few seconds make you and others immobile for life.”

The US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice continued to say that in the US in 2008, nearly 6,000 people died in distracted driving crashes, but the statistics are hard to come by, since it isn't always readily apparent the reason why the accident took place.

She also said that studies by researchers at the University of Utah show that using a cell phone while driving delays a driver’s reactions as much as having alcohol in your blood up to the legal limit of 0.8%.

Hi Vis Supply concerns itself with all matters pertaining to roadways, particularly with that of roadside construction, and increasingly that of distracted driving, and believe that awareness will lead to prevention in the US and across the globe.

5 Sites for Roadway Worker Safety

Each year, statistics show that roadway fatalities for highway roadside workers continue even with standards and awareness programs. and the deaths of these highwaymen aren't always what you'd expect. In 2011, there's been at least one death in a hit and run, and yet another road worker was struck and killed by a trolley.

These fatalities took place in California, but they could have been anywhere. Here are 5 resources for finding information on tips and training for highway roadside workers and crews who want to return home alive.

1. The National Workzone Information Clearinghouse The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse is dedicated to providing the transportation construction industry and the general public with comprehensive information to improve motorist, worker and pedestrian safety in roadway work zones. Here you'll find videos, social media sources, articles training and tips to keep roadside workers safe.

2. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration  NHTSA was established by the Highway Safety Act of 1970 to carry out safety programs previously administered by the National Highway Safety Bureau. Specifically, the agency directs the highway safety and consumer programs established by the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, the Highway Safety Act of 1966, the 1972 Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act, and succeeding amendments to these laws. Dedicated to achieving the highest standards of excellence in motor vehicle and highway safety, NHTSA works daily to help prevent crashes and their attendant costs, both human and financial. The agency strives to exceed the expectations of its customers through its core values of Integrity, Service, and Leadership.

3. United States Department of Transportation The mission of the Department is to serve the United States by ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests and enhances the quality of life of the American people, today and into the future.

Statutory Authority - The Department of Transportation was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966. The Department’s first official day of operation was April 1, 1967.

4. Federal Highway Administration the FHWA's mission is to improve mobility on our Nation's highways through national leadership, innovation, and program delivery.

5. Distraction.Gov Also a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation - heeding America’s call to end the dangerous practice of distracted driving on our nation’s roadways. Distracted driving is a serious, life-threatening practice and we will not rest until we stop it. We are leading the effort but you are the key to preventing distracted driving. The message is simple – Put it down! We will work across the spectrum with private and public entities as well as advocacy groups to tackle distracted driving, and, we will lead by example. We have taken first steps -- The President’s Executive Order has established a new way to approach driving – by putting your device down and paying attention to the task at hand.

Hi Vis Supply is dedicated to educating everyone on the dangers of roadside work, and keeping our hard-working men and women visible to the dangers around them, especially on our Nation's roadways. Visit our site for all of your HiVis needs.

Hi Visibility Products for the Summer

Roadside safety is always a dangerous situation, but add the summer heat and you've now got another consideration to be made - not only being seen, but also staying cool in the summer sun. the body sweats in order to cool itself off, so wicking micro-fiber clothing helps keep you comfortable and compliant at the same time. Having lightweight hi-vis clothing helps protect your body and keeps you cool. Hi Vis Supply carries ML Kishigo products for roadside safety including summertime clothing as seen in the video above.

Below, the Ultra-Cool black bottom mesh vest is designed with the top features of today's ANSI Class 2 vest, but also includes the unique black bottom design. The solid black material is incorporated into the areas which most commonly get dirty - helping the vest to maintain a bright and clean appearance. Constructed from 100% Ultra-Cool polyester mesh material, the vest is durable and offers long-lasting brightness. Other features include a zipper closure, dual mic tabs, radio pocket, multi-tier pencil pocket, two lower patch pockets with flaps and two inside patch pockets. This vest is also ANSI/ISEA 107 Class 2 compliant.

Cool Black Bottom Mesh Vest

Fleece and Teflon® for the Perfect Bomber!



HiVis Bomber with Zip-out Storm Fleece Liner
Fleece has a natural phobia for water and is inherently warmer than real wool. It's the perfect insulator even when wet (which is really hard to do), and it's breath-ability is almost a flaw since it doesn't stand up to wind too well. And that's where the outer shell comes in to play. Cover fleece with an outer treated with a Teflon® fabric protector and a barrier around each individual fiber is formed, lowering surface tension and allowing the bomber to repel most water- and oil-based liquids. Now the fabric has water and oil repellency without changing the color or feel of the garment. Liquids bead up on this bomber like car wax, and in tests, Teflon® tends to dry faster than untreated fabrics.

 Fleece has other important properties also. It's machine washable, dries quickly, a good alternative to natural wool (especially in the case of allergies and can be recycled from itself and even plastic bottles. DuPont™ Teflon® fabric protector products must pass stringent brand assurance criteria outlined in the DuPont Global Specifications and Quality Control Tests. This bomber is only available in hi vis lime in sizes M-5XL.

Additionally, the 350 Pro Series Parka has thermal insulation for added warmth and its seams are sealed. 3M brand two inch silver reflective tape makes these parkas ANSI/ISEA 107 Class 3 compliant. Plus, storm cuffs keep wind and snow out of critical areas in inclement weather. Adjustable cuffs and a hidden collar hood compliment 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 purpose pocket. The 350 Series Parkas are available in both high visibility lime and orange in sizes M-5XL.

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.