5 Trends Reshaping High-Visibility Workwear

High-visibility apparel is moving beyond the traditional safety vest as manufacturers respond to heat, workforce diversity, multiple hazards and emerging technology.

• By David Kopf
• Sep 14, 2026

For many workers, the fluorescent, reflective safety vest remains one of the most recognizable pieces of personal protective equipment on the jobsite. But the high-visibility apparel category has grown well beyond the basic vest.

Today, safety managers can choose among high-visibility shirts, jackets, sweatshirts, rainwear, pants and other garments designed for different jobs and environmental conditions. Manufacturers are also responding to heat stress, PPE fit, multiple hazards and emerging connected technologies.

The changes are occurring as the primary U.S. consensus standard for high-visibility safety apparel is being updated. In March 2026, the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) opened a proposed revision of ANSI/ISEA 107 for public review. The public comment period closed May 11. The proposed sixth revision includes updated testing protocols, new sizing requirements and provisions supporting improved assessment of nighttime visibility. However, at press time, that revision has not been finalized. ANSI/ISEA 107-2020 remains the current edition.

Regardless of where the standard ultimately lands, the high-visibility market is already changing. Here are five developments safety managers should understand:

1. Hi-Viz Is Adapting to the Heat

Workers who require high-visibility apparel are often among those most likely to work in the heat. Road crews, utility workers, construction employees and others may perform strenuous outdoor work while surrounded by moving vehicles and equipment.

That creates a challenge: Workers need to remain visible, but what they wear can affect their ability to shed heat.

OSHA identifies clothing and protective gear that can reduce the body’s ability to lose excess heat as an occupational heat-stress factor. The agency also accounts for clothing when employers use wet bulb globe temperature, or WBGT, to assess heat exposure. If clothing or protective equipment impairs heat dissipation, OSHA instructs employers to apply clothing adjustment factors to determine an “effective WBGT.”

That helps explain the emphasis on lighter, more breathable high-visibility workwear. Mesh construction, lightweight fabrics, moisture management and ventilation can become important considerations for workers spending long shifts in hot conditions.

The issue is particularly timely because OSHA updated its National Emphasis Program for Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards in April 2026.

For safety managers, however, “lightweight” cannot be the only criterion. The garment still needs to provide the visibility appropriate for the worker’s environment. Heat stress and visibility should be considered together when selecting PPE.

2. The Category Is Moving Beyond the Vest

The traditional mesh vest isn’t going away. But it is increasingly only one option within a much broader category.

ISEA’s high-visibility market-data program tracks Class 2 and Class 3 vests, sweatshirts, T-shirts, jackets, rainwear and Class E bottoms, as well as flame-resistant versions of several garment types.

Those choices give safety managers greater flexibility to match apparel to working conditions. A worker who needs visibility during a summer shift has different clothing requirements than someone performing the same job in cold weather or heavy rain. High-visibility shirts and sweatshirts can incorporate visibility into everyday workwear, while jackets and rainwear can combine visibility with environmental protection.

More choices, however, make hazard assessment more important, not less. ANSI/ISEA 107-2020 establishes three performance classes based on the amount of visible material and design attributes incorporated into the garment, plus a supplemental Class E for bottoms, which qualify only when combined with a Class 2 or Class 3 top. Selection guidance considers worker hazards and tasks, background complexity, and vehicular traffic and speed. The standard also establishes garment Types based on expected use settings.

Not every garment is interchangeable. Employers still need to determine the appropriate Type and Performance Class and select a configuration workers can realistically wear throughout the shift.

3. Better Fit Is Finally Getting More Attention

For years, women entering construction and other traditionally male-dominated occupations often encountered PPE and workwear designed primarily around men’s bodies. With high-visibility clothing, that could mean being handed a men’s small vest or jacket and expected to make it work.

That is changing as manufacturers offer more high-visibility vests, jackets and other garments designed specifically for women. The issue also has regulatory momentum behind it.

OSHA’s construction PPE rule, effective Jan. 13, 2025, explicitly requires employers to select PPE that properly fits each affected employee. In explaining the change, OSHA specifically pointed to women and smaller workers who have experienced difficulty obtaining properly fitting PPE.

CPWR—The Center for Construction Research and Training has examined PPE fit for workers of different genders and sizes. The organization notes that oversized or badly cut protective clothing can fail to adequately protect workers and introduce hazards such as tripping or becoming caught in machinery. NIOSH likewise identifies fit and comfort as important considerations when selecting protective clothing.

The proposed ANSI/ISEA 107 revision brings the issue directly into hi-viz. ISEA says the draft includes updated sizing requirements and more precise measurement guidelines intended to address concerns about fit consistency.

For employers, the takeaway goes beyond stocking additional sizes. A properly fitting vest or jacket should allow a worker to move, bend and reach without excessive material getting in the way while accommodating other required PPE and necessary layers.

For women in particular, the growing availability of purpose-designed high-visibility apparel means the choice increasingly doesn’t have to be an ill-fitting men’s small. Employers can fit the PPE to the worker instead of asking the worker to adapt to the PPE.

4. One Garment May Need to Address Multiple Hazards

Visibility is rarely the only hazard a worker encounters.

The same employee who needs to be seen may also face flame or arc-flash hazards, rain, cold, heat or other exposures. That has helped drive high-visibility garments designed to address multiple protective needs, including products combining visibility with flame resistance or weather protection.

But multiple performance claims require safety managers to pay close attention to labels, standards and the underlying hazard assessment.

NIOSH emphasizes that protective clothing should be selected based on the hazards workers actually face. No single protective clothing solution is appropriate for every hazard or workplace.

A garment’s compliance with ANSI/ISEA 107 establishes its high-visibility performance; it does not demonstrate that the garment provides adequate protection against every other hazard the employee faces. Employers need to identify each applicable hazard and determine the appropriate standard or performance requirement. When one garment performs multiple functions, safety managers should verify the markings and documentation for each claimed form of protection.

5. Hi-Viz Is Entering the Connected-PPE Era

The most futuristic change in high-visibility apparel may involve what can be incorporated into—or worn with—the garment.

Wearable sensors and connected-worker technology are opening possibilities for clothing and PPE to gather and communicate safety information.

In a NIOSH Science Blog post, agency researchers discussed advanced sensor technologies supporting proximity detection, physiological and environmental monitoring, and worker location and movement tracking. Sensors can be incorporated into clothing or worn on garments such as vests.

A proximity system, for example, could warn a worker that mobile equipment is approaching. Environmental sensors can monitor conditions such as temperature, humidity, noise or hazardous gases, while physiological monitoring may provide information about a worker’s response to physical demands or heat.

These capabilities are particularly relevant to hi-viz because many workers wearing it already operate around vehicles, heavy equipment, heat and changing outdoor conditions.

Connected PPE also introduces new concerns. NIOSH researchers have pointed to sensor validation, data security and worker privacy. Employers must also consider batteries, durability, worker acceptance and what happens when a sensor or network fails.

Start With the Hazard, Not the Garment

For safety managers, innovation shouldn’t change where selection begins: Start with the hazard. Determine how visible the worker needs to be and under what conditions. Consider heat and weather, make sure the garment fits the individual employee and works with other required PPE, and verify any additional protective claims against applicable standards.

The hi-viz safety vest isn’t going anywhere, but increasingly, keeping a worker visible involves much more than simply putting one on.

This article originally appeared in the September 2026 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.