The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is proposing to require personnel who are working on or near highways that receive federal funds to wear a high visibility vest developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen's Association Emergency Responder Safety Institute (ERSI) unveiled prototypes of the new ANSI Public Safety Vest on April 28. FHWA has posted the rule for public comment through June 23.
Fire departments would have up to two years to adopt the new safety vest, allowing them to continue to use existing vests and purchase the new vest through their regular schedule of equipment replacement. The cost of the new vest is expected to be comparable to the current ANSI Class II vest.
Every year more than 100 workers are killed and more than 20,000 are injured in the highway and street construction industry. When firefighters and EMS personnel respond to an incident along a highway, they suffer significant risk of being struck by a vehicle. By wearing a high visibility safety vest, highway personnel are easier for drivers to see and less likely to be struck in an accident.
To review a copy of the proposed rule go to 2006-highway-visibility-proposal.
