Class 3 Safety Vest

A class 3 safety vest is the high-visibility option tree crews reach for when they work beside busy roads, at night or in bad weather. It adds more fluorescent background and reflective tape than a Class 2 vest, so drivers see you sooner.

When Class 3 makes sense

ANSI/ISEA 107 sorts high-visibility garments into classes by how much fluorescent background and reflective material they carry. Class 3 is the top tier and is generally called for when traffic is fast, visibility is poor or the worker is busy with a task, like a flagger or a ground person feeding a chipper next to a lane.

Check the label before you rely on it. A true Class 3 garment states its class and type on the tag. Your traffic control plan and local rules decide what class you need, so ask your supervisor if you are not sure.

On a typical roadside removal that means the flagger, the person running the chipper beside the lane and anyone working the cones at the start and end of the work zone. Everyone on the ground should be easy for a driver to pick out at a glance.

Wearing and caring for it

Size it to go over your heaviest winter layer so it closes fully; an open vest shows less color. Keep it away from chipper infeeds and spinning equipment, and replace it if it tears. See more cold-weather sweatshirts and jackets that layer under a vest.

Fluorescent color fades with sun and washing, and reflective tape cracks over time. Wash per the label, skip bleach, and retire the vest when it looks dull or the tape no longer shines back in headlights.