Testing of High-Visibility Safety Garments – Part IV
- Friday, 28 February 2014
This is the fourth and final article in a series relating to information about high visibility garments. This article provides details relating to the specifications for garments as required by the New Zealand Forest Owners Association (NZFOA).
The NZFOA requirements relating to high-visibility safety garments serve to ensure forestry workers are visible in their work surroundings.
NZFOA Specifications for High-Visibility Safety Garments
The New Zealand Forestry Guidelines for High-Visibility Clothing (FOA:2012) specifies the minimum acceptable design standards for high visibility garments. The guideline is intended for use within New Zealand commercial forestry environments where people may be exposed to the hazards of moving traffic and equipment.
Application of the Specification
The NZFOA Guideline is based around AS/NZ4206.1:2011 and AS/NZS1906.4:2010 (see Parts I and II of this series). Because of the nature of the garments typically used (knitted tee shirts are common), many designs are achieved by printing of fluorescent inks in distinctive patterns.
Compliant garments fall within two categories:
| Class FID - Forest Industries Day Time - Class FID garments are intended to provide the wearer with high visibility under daylight viewing conditions and are intended for the bulk of forestry workers operating in daylight hours. This class is similar to Class D of AS/NZS 4602.1:2011. |  |
 |
Class FIDN - Forest Industries Day Night - Class FIDN garments are intended to provide the wearer with high visibility under both daytime and night-time viewing conditions. This class is similar to Class DN of AS/NZS 4602.1:2011. |
Download Fact Sheet: Testing of High-Visibility Safety Garments - Part IV
Advice on NZFOA Garment Testing and Compliance
The New Zealand Forestry Guidelines for High-Visibility Clothing (FOA:2012) and the two key Standards for high-visibility garments (AS/NZS 4602.1:2011 for garment design and AS/NZS 1906.4:2010 for background materials and retro-reflective tape) provide a significant amount of detail and specification for manufacturers and users. NZWTA Ltd has a comprehensive understanding of the standards involved in high-visibility garment testing and can provide a report on the conformance to these standards. If you are involved with manufacturing, importing or using high-visibility garments and want to ensure the garments are compliant with current standards, contact NZWTA on:
PH: +64 6 835 1086
Email: Lorraine.greer@nzwta.co.nz / Christian.judan@nzwta.co.nz