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If you work on or near the highway, the short answer is this: buy hi-vis clothing certified to EN ISO 20471, then choose the class and garment combination to match the risk of the job, the speed of traffic, and any site or client rules. For many roadside tasks, a simple vest is not enough on its own. You often need a jacket, trousers or both to reach the amount of fluorescent and reflective material required.
In the UK, the exact colour and class are not decided by preference alone. National Highways contracts, local authority requirements, rail-side interfaces, utility work permits and principal contractor rules can all be stricter than the minimum clothing standard. So when people ask what hi-vis they need for roadside work, the right approach is: check the standard first, then check the site rule, then buy clothing that still works once it is dirty, wet and layered over normal workwear.
For UK roadside work, the standard to look for is EN ISO 20471. That is the current standard for high-visibility clothing and it replaced the older EN 471 marking. If a garment is sold for professional hi-vis use, the label should show EN ISO 20471 and state the class.
EN ISO 20471 does not mean “safe for all road work” by itself. It means the garment has been designed and tested to provide a defined minimum area of visible material. That visible material comes in two parts:
The class is based on how much of each material the garment has. A higher class means a larger visible area, not necessarily a thicker or warmer garment. A lightweight waistcoat can be compliant, and a heavy waterproof coat can be compliant, but they may be different classes depending on coverage.
In UK use, this matters because roadside workers are often seen in mixed conditions: daylight, rain, spray, dusk, winter mornings and headlight glare. EN ISO 20471 is about being conspicuous in those conditions. It is not a replacement for a risk assessment, traffic management, barriers or safe systems of work.
Check the inside label before you buy. You want to see:
If the garment is waterproof, insulated or sold as protective clothing, it may also carry other standards, but EN ISO 20471 is the key one for visibility. If you are buying boots for roadside work at the same time, visibility and foot protection are separate issues. Roadside crews commonly need footwear marked EN ISO 20345, often an S3 safety boot, depending on the ground conditions and site rules. That tells you the boot is protective footwear; it tells you nothing about whether your upper clothing is suitable for live roads.
The practical difference between Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 is simple: more class means more visible area on the body.
Class 1 is the lowest level under EN ISO 20471. It provides the least fluorescent and reflective coverage. In practice, Class 1 is more likely to suit lower-risk situations away from fast traffic, such as yard work, private sites with controlled vehicle movement, or support roles where workers are not exposed to live carriageways.
For roadside work in the usual sense, Class 1 is often not enough. If you are stepping in and out of a van on a public road, placing signs, inspecting verges, working near plant or walking a work zone boundary, many clients will expect a higher class.
Class 2 gives more visible coverage and is common for general road maintenance, utility visits, delivery and collection on road schemes, and workers who need hi-vis but are not continuously exposed in the highest-risk positions.
Typical Class 2 garments include many standard waistcoats and some hi-vis trousers. On some jobs, a Class 2 vest may meet the minimum rule. On others, Class 2 is only acceptable when combined with another garment.
A practical example: a utility subcontractor attending a short-duration job on a residential road may be told to wear hi-vis to EN ISO 20471 Class 2 as a minimum. That could be achieved with a compliant vest. But if the same worker moves onto a higher-speed road or a principal contractor site, the requirement may move to Class 3.
Class 3 is the highest class under EN ISO 20471 and is widely expected for higher-risk roadside work, especially where traffic speed is higher, visibility is poor, or workers are on foot close to live traffic. It is common for highways maintenance crews, traffic management teams, recovery operators and workers on major road schemes.
Class 3 normally means upper-body clothing with sleeves, or a combination of garments that together reach Class 3 coverage. A hi-vis jacket with reflective bands on the torso and sleeves is a common route. A vest on its own is usually not enough to achieve Class 3.
For many buyers, this is the point that causes confusion. The job title does not decide the class on its own. Exposure decides it. A supervisor standing beside a lane closure on a dual carriageway may need more visible coverage than a labourer unloading cones inside a fully segregated compound.
As a rule of thumb:
That is a guide, not a legal shortcut. Always check the work pack, permit, induction notes or principal contractor standard.
On UK roads, orange hi-vis is commonly required for highway work, but yellow may be acceptable depending on who controls the site and what their rules say.
The reason orange is so common is not that yellow fails the standard. Both colours can be used under EN ISO 20471 if the garment is properly certified. The issue is operational consistency. Highway authorities and major contractors often specify orange so workers are clearly identifiable in the road environment and the whole workforce is dressed to one scheme.
This is one area where UK practice can be more specific than the general European standard. EN ISO 20471 allows compliant fluorescent colours, but UK road-sector rules and contract documents often narrow that choice in practice. So the standard tells you whether the garment is compliant; the employer or client tells you whether that compliant garment is allowed on their job.
Orange is commonly expected for:
Yellow may be acceptable for:
If you move between jobs, orange is often the safer buying choice for roadside work because it tends to meet more UK highway requirements. Yellow can still be useful, but it is more likely to be rejected on a road contract that specifies orange.
If in doubt, ask for the wording in writing before ordering. “EN ISO 20471 Class 3, orange” is a common requirement. That is much clearer than being told only to “bring hi-vis”.
Sometimes a vest is enough. Quite often, it is not.
A hi-vis waistcoat is useful because it is cheap, easy to throw over workwear and simple to replace. For visitors, drivers and short-duration tasks in lower-risk areas, it may be all that is needed. Many waistcoats are Class 2, which can satisfy a minimum clothing rule on some jobs.
The limitations are obvious in real use:
If the job requires Class 3, a vest alone will usually not do it. You are more likely to need:
Trousers matter more than many buyers expect. When workers bend, kneel, carry barriers or stand behind plant, the lower body can be the part most visible to drivers. Hi-vis trousers or overtrousers add fluorescent area and reflective bands lower down, which helps in rain, spray and low light.
A waterproof jacket is often the practical choice for roadside work because bad weather is not optional. If the jacket is used as the outer layer, it needs to be compliant in its own right. Wearing a non-compliant raincoat over a compliant vest defeats the point.
For winter work, check what sits over what. If you wear a fleece under a hi-vis jacket, that is fine. If you wear a dark padded coat over a hi-vis polo, you have lost the visible area. Some insulated jackets give a warmth guide or tog rating, but warmth is secondary to visibility if the garment is your outer layer.
Think in terms of the full outfit, not a single item. A sensible roadside clothing setup might be:
If you are building a kit from scratch, it is easier to compare compliant outer layers in a dedicated range of hi-vis workwear and reflective clothing than to piece together random garments and hope they combine properly.
The class is only the start. Clothing that is technically compliant on the hanger can perform badly if the fit, fabric or condition is wrong.
Hi-vis needs to sit properly over your normal work clothes. Too tight, and it restricts movement and may leave the front open. Too loose, and it snags, flaps or catches on equipment. Check the actual chest and waist measurements, not just S, M, L. UK sizing varies between brands, especially with outerwear meant to go over layers.
Sleeves should reach properly on jackets sold as Class 3. If they are pushed permanently up the forearm because the fit is wrong, you lose visible area exactly where the standard expects it.
For roadside work, waterproofing and wind resistance are not luxuries. A worker who is cold and soaked is slower, less comfortable and more likely to layer badly. If you need one jacket to cover most seasons, look for a waterproof hi-vis shell with sealed seams and room for mid-layers. If you buy insulated winter gear, make sure the bulk does not make driving, climbing in and out of vehicles or shoulder checks awkward.
Layering only works if the hi-vis garment remains outermost. That sounds obvious, but it is one of the most common failures in real use. A compliant vest under a dark hoodie is not visible. A compliant softshell under a non-compliant rain jacket is not visible.
Roadside clothing gets hard use: kneeling, brushing against barriers, diesel grime, wet cones, mud and repeated washing. Fabric weight matters here. Many workwear items are described by GSM, which helps you compare how light or heavy the fabric is. A heavier GSM does not automatically mean better, but very light garments can wear out quickly in rough work.
Reflective tape also degrades. It cracks, peels or loses performance after abrasion and washing. Fasten zips and close hook-and-loop tabs before washing where the care label tells you to do so, and avoid treating workwear as if it were ordinary laundry.
A dirty hi-vis garment may still be technically the same class on paper, but that does not help if the fluorescent background is coated in mud or bitumen. The same goes for faded fabric and damaged tape. If the colour has dulled, the tape is missing sections, or the garment no longer closes properly, replace it.
This is especially important for sole traders who tend to “get one more month” out of worn kit. On roadside jobs, worn-out visibility clothing is a false economy.
Your hi-vis has to work with gloves, helmets, harnesses, tool belts and footwear. For boots, roadside work often calls for a steel toe cap or a composite toe depending on the environment and your preference on weight and metal-free construction. Wet verges, uneven ground and broken surfaces often point buyers towards an S3 safety boot with midsole protection and a tread suited to mud and loose ground. You can compare suitable options in a range of safety boots and work trainers.
If you do not have a safety manager or a trade buyer, keep the process simple. Start with the jobs you actually do most weeks, not the cheapest vest you can find.
Use this checklist.
Before ordering, ask regular clients or principal contractors:
Get the answer in writing if possible.
If you spend most of your time on highways and utility work, buy for that standard. It is usually easier to wear a suitable Class 3 orange jacket on a smaller job than to turn up underdressed on a stricter site.
Do not buy a vest, then months later add random trousers and a coat. Make sure the pieces work together. A sensible small-firm order often includes:
That rotation matters because roadside kit gets wet and dirty quickly.
Try the garments over the layers you actually wear for work. A jacket that fits over a T-shirt in the house may be too tight over a sweatshirt in January. Be honest about fit. If you are between sizes and need movement for driving and lifting, go by the chest measurement and intended layering, not vanity sizing.
Look for:
For a small firm, it helps to buy from a range that you can reorder later so one new jacket matches the rest of the team and meets the same standard. Keep a note of product names, size, colour and class.
Roadside workwear is not only hi-vis. You may also need gloves, hats, waterproof accessories and compliant footwear. If you are ordering for a small crew, it is often easier to review the full range of workwear and safety clothing at the same time so nothing obvious gets missed.
The best answer to what hi-vis is needed for roadside work is usually not a single garment. It is a compliant outer layer, in the right colour, with enough coverage for the job, worn properly and replaced before it becomes dull, dirty or damaged. For most UK roadside workers, that means EN ISO 20471, usually orange, and often Class 3 once the real exposure is taken seriously.
