10 Illinois Interchange Spring 2009
teers. Law enforcement personnel are
also required to comply when direct-ing
traffic and investigating crashes.
Fire fighters have some exceptions,
as well.
High-visibility safety garments
means personal protective safety
clothing that is intended to provide
conspicuity in daytime and nighttime
usage, and meets the Performance
Class 2 or 3 requirements of the
ANSI/ISEA 107-2004 publication
titled “American National Standard
for High-Visibility Safety Apparel
and Headwear.”
Many of you may ask, what are the
rules when I’m not on a federal-aid
highway? There is a proposed revi-sion
to the 2009 update of the
Manual for Uniform Traffic Control
Devices (MUTCD) that will require
Wearing a high-visibility vest has
always been a good idea. Now, in
most cases, it’s the law.
The Code of Federal Regulations
Title 23, Part 634 established policy
for use of vests. Effective November
24th, 2008, workers within the right
of way of a federal-aid highway who
are exposed either to traffic or con-struction
equipment are required to
wear high-visibility safety garments.
The rule also established definitions
of who workers are, and what a high-visibility
garment is.
A worker means people on foot
whose duties place them within the
right of way. This includes highway
construction and maintenance work-ers,
survey crews, utility crews, all
responders to incidents, tow opera-tors,
and Adopt-A-Highway volun-all
workers within the public right of
way to wear an ANSI Class 2 or 3
garment. So, whether you are work-ing
on a major collector, or out in the
sticks, vests are going to become a
part of our work apparel.
The good news is compliance is easy.
ANSI 107 High-visibility vests are
inexpensive, made in all sizes, and
are even available in tear-away con-figuration
for those working around
equipment. Law enforcement person-nel
are allowed to wear the ANSI 207
Public Safety Vest, which is shorter
in length to allow access to items on
their belt.
If you have any questions, contact
Marshall Metcalf with the IDOT
Bureau of Safety Engineering at
(217) 782-8608.
WORKER VISIBILITY RULE
By Marshall Metcalf, IDOT, Bureau of Safety Engineering
IL DOT conducts a RSA on a township road.
