Hi-vis clothing

[Hagar]

Anyone noticed the sudden popularity of these fluorescent hi-vis yellow jackets over the last couple of years? Seems everyone from pilots to cyclists & roadsweepers has to wear them now. I noticed that even beat coppers wear them. OK, it might be handy if you ever need to find one but my first thought is that it makes them an ideal target for anyone wishing to take a potshot at them. I can see the safety reasons for it & in some cases it's a very good idea. I can't help thinking that if things carry on at this rate, everyone will be wearing one of these things which completely defeats the object & makes the whole idea ridiculous. I'll soon be required to wear one by law before daring to step outside my front door. ::)

Just my luck that this became popular at about the same time I took up photography as a hobby. Those bloomin' yellow jackets are everywhere & messed up some of my best shots.

I suppose the only way out is to buy one of these things myself so I can go where I would otherwise not be allowed. Reminds me of the old days when you could go anywhere you liked on Gatwick Airport if you wore a white coat & carried a clipboard. I'm certain that some people did this every day without ever being found out or doing any work.

[Craig.]

Hi Doug. As far as workers wearing them, I believe its a new law that requires anyone working in public to wear them under health and safety laws. I used to have to wear a horrible orange one when working in the car park of the local supermarket. My driving instructor has to wear one when doing the walk around portions, and all driving examiners have to wear them on tests.

[Hagar]

These laws are all very well but are they regulated in any way? How would you get one of these things or tell the difference between the various types? Ive never tried but I'm sure I could go out & buy one now from the local cycle shop.

I hadn't really thought about this until recently when I offered to open a gate on the airfield for some friends in the top hangar to save the security guy having to drive over from the terminal every time. As I was standing near the unlocked gate it would have been no trouble. Apparently I would only be allowed to do this if I had a yellow jacket, any yellow jacket. Presumably anyone wearing any sort of reflective yellow jacket could open that gate or go airside on the airport without being questioned.

It strikes me that the more people required to wear these things, the less effective they become. In the end they'll be completely ineffective. I think that should be perfectly obvious to anyone. It's typical bureaucratic thinking by people with no experience of the real world.

[Craig.]

I'm not sure what your point is on this one Doug. The only reason they require these is so the person can be seen. Be it by drivers on the road in bad weather or at night. Or by aircraft on an airfield. I dont think they can be regulated. They are more a common sense thing for the general public, and uniform guidline for public service workers.
Again i might have missed the point::)

[Hagar]

I'm not sure what your point is on this one Doug. The only reason they require these is so the person can be seen. Be it by drivers on the road in bad weather or at night. Or by aircraft on an airfield. I dont think they can be regulated. They are more a common sense thing for the general public, and uniform guidline for public service workers.
Again i might have missed the point::)

Maybe I'm getting worked up over nothing. That's not unusual when I get a bee in my bonnet.

Let's see if I can clarify my point. It's now a rule at Shoreham & I suspect most similar airfields in the UK for anyone going airside to wear a yellow jacket. These can vary considerably but the fact that it's yellow & reflective seems the most important thing. This applies to everyone including airport employees, pilots & private owners & their passengers. I suspect that the yellow jacket itself is regarded as a badge of authority & I could easily buy a jacket & wander around the airfield without being questioned. That's the point I was trying to make & I suspect this doesn't only apply to airfields.

The same thing applies if it's regarded as a badge of authority on the street or anywhere else. As I said, it'll end up with us all wearing yellow jackets.

[Craig.]

I would imagine there is some other form of ID required, The jacket is just so people can be seen clearly. Although saying that, when i had my lessons at bristol airport, they didnt ask me to wear a high vis vest or ask for any ID for me to go airside. I found this a little worrying as it was only 50 yards to the main apron from the flight school and barely 20 yards to the taxiway.

[Hagar]

I'm quite certain that I could walk through the gate at Shoreham wearing a hi-vis jacket without anyone giving me a second glance. If I looked like I knew where I was going nobody would be likely to question what I was doing.

[Craig.]

ok now i see your point:) And yes i agree to a certain extent. However when i see someone digging up a road i tend to think nothing of it anyway. Let alone if they are even meant to be there.

[Hagar]

ok now i see your point:) And yes i agree to a certain extent. However when i see someone digging up a road i tend to think nothing of it anyway. Let alone if they are even meant to be there.

Good. The chap digging up the road was the only example I could think of but it serves to illustrate my point. I'm sure I can do better given time to ponder on it.

[Craig.]

it was a good enough example so my poor brain could understand:)

[Hagar]

This also applies to people wearing them for purely health & safety reasons. One or two people wearing them would stand out from the crowd like the proverbial sore thumb. Now just suppose everyone wore them all the time. You would soon become so used to seeing yellow jackets it wouldn't even register.

[Craig.]

Well if everyone starts wearing them, you wouldnt have any targets to aim for

[Hagar]

Well if everyone starts wearing them, you wouldnt have any targets to aim for

LOL

The fact is that people still wander around at night on badly lit roads wearing dark clothing. The way I see it, if drivers expect them to wear hi-vis jackets it's quite possible they wouldn't conciously be looking out for anyone not wearing one. In this case it could have the opposite effect to intended & actually increase road accidents.

[Omag 2.0]

Well Doug, if this gets you all worked up, just come to Belgium and I

[eno]

I have to wear one on the days that I work ...... but when 30+ trucks are manouvering around a yard in the dark I want  to be seen. Its a health and safety thing .....ergo... it makes you  responsible for the accident if you aren't wearing one.

The one that makes me laugh though are hard hats in areas where the only thing thats going to fall on your head is bird poop or a stricken aircraft. Then at the other extrem hard hats in an area where if anything is dropped from a height its going to kill you with or without the hat.