Kim Johnston

Safety is always an important aspect for anyone working in the construction industry. For asphalt contractors whose businesses thrive off road work and maintenance, worker safety is extremely critical. In November of this year, the emphasis on safety will become even more important.

On November 24, 2008, the Federal Highway Administration will require any contractors who are working on or want to bid a job for a federally-funded highway project to follow the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 107-2004 standard for high-visibility safety apparel.

The ANSI standard, which is voluntary, is meant to help increase the visibility and safety of road workers, says Cory Erickson, market development manager for 3M. The original standard went into effect in 1999 and was revised in 2004. However, starting in November, if contractors hope to work on federally-funded road projects it will be mandatory that all workers be ANSI compliant, Erickson says.

A breakdown of ANSI 107-2004
The ANSI 107-2004 standard breaks safety apparel into three classes based on work environment. Class 1 safety apparel is for workers who have sufficient separation from traffic that is traveling less that 25 mph. The garments that fall into this class are safety vests recommended for sidewalk maintenance workers, workers in warehouses where there is equipment being driven around, and other jobs that are not dealing with much traffic.

Class 2 apparel is meant for poor weather conditions as well as workers near roads where traffic is going 25 mph or faster. These garments are a step up from Class 1 and are often suitable for airport grounds crews as well as people directing traffic in roads or parking lots.