Reflective clothing is personal protective equipment. Personal protective equipment are products that are designed to be used by a person for protection against health and safety risks.

The special demands placed on personal protective equipment in Europe are described in EN-norms. Products that pass these basic safety requirements are allowed to carry the obligatory CE-mark. In order for a product to be approved and marked with the CE mark, it must have been tested and certified by an authorized organisation.

Reflective clothes for professional users

These have to be CE-marked and approved according to the norm EN 471. The norm describes among other things what colours are permitted, where on the clothes the reflecting material is to be placed, and which information that must accompany the clothes. The design of the clothes must also follow certain criteria in order to achieve the best possible visibility. In the norm there are three classes. The norm specifies how much fluorescing cloth and how big the reflective area reflective clothes of each class must have.

This gives the lowest level of protection. The total fluorescent area must be at least 0.14m² and the reflective area 0.10m². May only be used if there is little contact with a few vehicles and/or slow moving traffic.

Gives a much better protection than class 1, especially in daytime, twilight and fog. The total fluorescent area must be at least 0.50.14m² and the reflective area 0.13m². Class 2 is used in harbours, on railways, building sites, parking places, cross country searches, load bearing vehicles and other places where class 3 is not required.

This gives the highest level of protection. The total fluorescent area must be at least 0.80m² and the reflective area 0.20m². To be used in the proximity of fast moving traffic.

Selected test institutes test the clothes; PROJOB Workwear AB uses Swerea IVF in Mölndal, Sweden. When the clothes have been tested and are approved, the Technical Research Institute of Sweden (SP) issues a certificate that confirms that they are approved according to the EN 471 norm.

The rules for reflective clothing are applicable to any place of work where there is some form of traffic, roads, parking places, airports, harbours, building places, mines, etc. In Sweden for example, the employer is required by the worker protection laws to supply personal protective equipment if this is needed, and often it is the employer/ work provider that decides the EN 471 class that is applicable on their work site.