Standard EN ISO 20471 regulating the rules for high-visibility garments establishes three classes with different minimum areas of fluorescent and retro-reflective materials.
The visibility of these garments is the result of their bold contrast with the surrounding environment, determined by fluorescent material, essential to ensure that workers are easily noticeable during the day, and by retro-reflective material reflecting light projected by the headlights of vehicles and machinery in the dark.

Vests are the most widely used category of high-visibility garment, as they are particularly versatile, lightweight, and comfortable: perfect for workers who require great agility, and as an easily worn safety garment for occasional users.

PAYPER, renowned for combining safety with style, now offers a new range of safety vests featuring innovative details and registered designs. Starting with a unique zipper composed of two-tone ribbon, fluorescent orange and yellow, with the entire zipper chain in the colour "Freedom Blue", slider and pull included.
Grouped into 2 stylistic families, those with the classic 2 horizontal retro-reflective stripes on the chest and those with 2 additional vertical stripes reminiscent of braces, PAYPER vests offer a stylish response to the different safety needs of the 3 safety classes.

Class 1 – Minimum level of visibility.
Class 1 vests are appropriate in contexts where moving vehicles travel at a speed of less than 15 km/h, for example on private roads and in warehouses.
This category includes vests with less fluorescent and retro-reflective surfaces, such as our ACK MESH, EXTROVERT and EXTROVERT MESH vests, featuring a portion of non-fluorescent fabric at the waist, with contrasting shades such as navy blue and jelly green.
The 2 vests described as "MESH" are composed half of lightweight fluorescent "corn mesh", a particularly breathable mesh fabric, and half of brightly coloured "tricot" fabric. The EXTROVERT, on the other hand, is made entirely of "tricot".

Class 2 – Medium level of visibility.
Class 2 medium high-visibility vests are ideal in industries such as construction, transport and logistics. They are appropriate for workers operating near railway tracks or urban, extra-urban and local roads with an average vehicle speed of less than 60 km/h, and on construction sites.
These vests feature retro-reflective stripes on the trunk and shoulders like the vests in the lower visibility class, but are made entirely of fluorescent fabric ensuring greater visibility.
PAYPER class 2 certified vests include: ACE and EXTRA, made entirely of "tricot", and ACE MESH and EXTRA MESH with the upper part made of "corn mesh". In addition, there are 2 special items, EXO and EXO MESH, fitted with half sleeves to increase the fluorescent surface area, which also permits certification in the highest class for vests in size L and larger.

Class 3 – High level of visibility.
Class 3 certified high-visibility garments must be worn by all operators who work or pass in the vicinity of airports, urban and suburban roads, motorways, railway shunting yards, and in all situations where vehicles travel at speeds greater than 60 km/h.
These garments, in addition to having a greater surface of fluorescent material, must cover the chest and have stripes of retro-reflective material on the sleeves and/or trouser legs, and therefore normally consist of jackets or trousers combined with a top.
As vests are normally sleeveless, they can only be classified in class 3 if worn with long trousers bearing retro-reflective stripes, unless they are designed with additional arm protection.
And this is what PAYPER has done, creating hybrid garments with half-sleeves or long sleeves: neither strictly a vest or a jacket, they offer the perfect combination of safety, practicality and light weight.
In addition to the aforementioned EXO and EXO MESH with half-sleeves, which are classified in class 3 from size L upwards, PAYPER also offers LONG EXO and LONG EXO MESH long-sleeved vests, ensuring greater coverage and better visibility.

To identify the right vest to wear, start by answering the following questions:

• In what type of indoor or outdoor setting will the worker operate?
Determine the appropriate visibility class for the speed of vehicle traffic in the area where the worker operates and choose the correct style accordingly, checking the item’s certification, which may vary for individual sizes, as in the case of EXO and EXO MESH vests. If the garment is to be customised with printing or embroidery, carefully check its impact in terms of reduction of the minimum surface area covered with fluorescent fabric.

• Will the worker be operating in hot temperatures?
If it’s important to keep cool, styles made with "corn mesh" fabric are designed to maximise ventilation and ensure good breathability.

• What functions will the worker require?
If pockets are needed to store objects of various sizes, choose a vest with an H-shaped pattern of retro-reflective stripes, that is, with vertical stripes similar to braces, such as: EXTRA, EXTROVERT, EXO, LONG EXO and their corresponding MESH versions. These garments are in fact fitted with 5 pockets, plus a badge holder and a multipurpose loop.

• What kind of uniform do you want to create?
To complete any kind of uniform, PAYPER vests are available in a wide range of colour solutions to match other garments, which can be grouped into:
- fluorescent solid colours, including yellow, orange and now also red, available for EXTRA and EXTRA MESH vests;
- two-tone all-fluorescent, featuring combinations of yellow and orange, available for ACE and EXTRA;
- two-tone hybrid, featuring a combination of fluorescent and non-fluorescent materials for class 1 vests such as ACK MESH, EXTROVERT and EXTROVERT MESH.