Updated Products 7 Velilla Confección Industrial High-vis equipment: fluorescent material and retro-reflective material Increased visibility may, at a given time, make a difference between life and death. High visibility equipment (HV) re- presents protection for workers who might be run over by vehicles or machi- nes driven or operated by people who might not see them in poorly lit areas, or at night. High-vis workwear by Velilla Confección Industrial complies with Eu- ropean standards. Statistics confirm that of all work acci- dents, these are the most frequent and standards demand that all workers ex- posed to hazards caused by poor visibi- lity wear suitable HV clothing, whenever they are close to traffic or machines, or in emergency situations, when users need to be visible at all times. In order to determine hazards, there are factors to be assessed, such as the speed of ve- hicles, the location of the workplace, and the specific tasks.Visibility of people working is attained by means of creating marked contrasts between the colour of clothes and the background, and by cove- ring areas with materials that are clearly visible.Those driving vehicles or operating machines need to be able to see if there is someone close, in front of them, or in the way in order to avoid accidents. High visibility clothing is conceived as signage worn by workers, so that they are clearly visible in poorly lit areas, at night, or by reflecting the light in the darkness. The use of high visibility clothing does not guarantee visibility in all situations. Standard UNE EN 471:2004 demands the use of high visibility elements and clothing, and is applied to certify pro- ducts. All requirements in the standard are taken into account when designing HV clothing. Materials: requirements and standards HV clothing is basically constructed with two types of materials: fluorescent and retro-reflective. Fluorescent colours can increase visibility in daytime, for they re- flect light and make clothes more visible. They will also create a marked contrast against the background in urban settings. Colour and luminescence are factors that contribute to visibility, but they must comply with standards.Three are the pos- sible colours: yellow, orange and red. Pro- perties must remain unimpaired, even after repeated use and washing. Materials must also comply with size and design re- quirements, as well as with dimensional stability, traction and water steam resis- tance, among other factors. Retro-reflective material will help us see light in poorly lit areas, as is the case of car lights shining on objects made of this Continuously working on the development of new fabrics and techni- cal properties in work- wear material. As reflected light is not easily dispersed, those close to the object made from retro-reflective materials will be able to see it.This, for instance, is the case of car drivers who approach sig- nage or someone wearing retro-reflec- tive clothes. Retro-reflection is assessed by levels, and depending on minimum required values, results will classify ma- terials as Class 1 or Class 2. The higher the class, the greater retro- reflection. But this property must also be guaranteed throughout time, and re- main unaffected by wear. HV clothing may, in some cases, be made from combined material, both fluorescent and retro-reflective, and must comply with requirements similar to those for fluorescent and retro-re- flective materials, respectively. Velilla Confección Industrial is a leading company in the design, production and marketing of workwear. At SICUR, the company’s stand showcases an extensive collection of high visibility clothing models, designed for workers in poorly lit areas. Velilla Confección Industrial represents guaranteed safety in high visibility work- wear.The company is continuously wor- king on the development of new fabrics and technical properties that will contri- bute improved solutions to meet market needs. As an example of this, trousers in Series 157 are a major novelty.The com- pany is also presenting prototypes of technically advanced clothing. The range of high visibility clothing pro- ducts by Velilla complies with UNE EN- 471 standards. JOBWEAR 60 1er TRIMESTRE 2012