Hi-Vis clothing in the bush

[StihlKiwi]

Coming from a country where wearing hi-vis clothing is mandatory in forestry and logging operations I find it interesting how little hi-vis appears to be worn in the bush in the US. Any particular reasons you guys in the states don't wear it or is it simply a case of "I don't have to, so I wont"?

[KiwiBro]

It's lag, mate. You see, we are so far behind the rest of the world that we are only just beginning to realise that with the hillsides, roadsides and darn near anything that moves (including the school walking buses) plastered in Hi Vis psuedo-safety BS, that anyone wearing such an ensemble is actually NOT noticed any more because they just blend in with the other fluro leemings choking our visual landscapes.

The more advanced and enlightened peeps in the Northern Hemisphere realised that ages ago and shelved the idea. Give us another 10 years and if we're lucky, the abominable visual pollution penny will drop here down under.

P.S. You rained out yet? What the heck happened to Summer? It was only 3 days long this year.

[Samlock]

In my country wearing hi-vis colours isn't mandatory in the bush. I think the only mandatory colour by law is a red hat for the members of hunting teams, in order to prevent them shooting each other in the head. However, the bright jackets are indeed in fashion among the forestry people. It's been like that a long time already, since 70's, I believe. I think it's become a sign or a code: If you see an orange jacket, don't #### with the guy, he's contagious.

[slowp]

I dunno. Some of the big timber companies require orange hardhats.

[madhatte]

Zackly. If you're required to wear something, you WILL wear it. If you're not required, you may or may not, depending on whim and other intangibles. Myself, I'm neither fond nor afraid of day-glo colors, and have been known to mix and match. Since I don't really care one way or another about color and neither do my employers, I just wear what fits and works right.

[2dogs]

I think a bright safety orange makes sense in the woods. I have worked with at least two guys who have said they will only wear a standard hickory shirt and if the boss makes them wear safety clothing they would quit. I like the Canadian reflective clothing with reflectors that are vertical when the person is facing me and crossed when he is facing away.

[tramp bushler]

If you doubt that high vis gear works just spend some time loggin in Southeast Alaska or as a Union Laborer in Prudhoe Bay in the winter doing close outs where you are the only person walking around and there are 5 operators in wheel loaders, hoes, dozers + graders . Plus 3 or 4 Teamsters in off highway end dumps or side dumps . Sometimes pulling doubles . .

I wear 2 safety vests , 1 under my parka and 1 over it . I put more reflective tape on my hard hat than you have probably ever seen . . I have a head light on and a blinking red strobe on the back of my hat .

[StihlKiwi]

It's lag, mate. You see, we are so far behind the rest of the world that we are only just beginning to realise that with the hillsides, roadsides and darn near anything that moves (including the school walking buses) plastered in Hi Vis psuedo-safety BS, that anyone wearing such an ensemble is actually NOT noticed any more because they just blend in with the other fluro leemings choking our visual landscapes.

The more advanced and enlightened peeps in the Northern Hemisphere realised that ages ago and shelved the idea. Give us another 10 years and if we're lucky, the abominable visual pollution penny will drop here down under.

P.S. You rained out yet? What the heck happened to Summer? It was only 3 days long this year.

You got a whole three days? dammit we've only had 2 and a bit.
There is way to muchy cotton wool and OSH crap in NZ but I agree with Tramp Bushler about not being run over by someone in a machine cos he can't see you.

Wearing well used hi-vis also helps give the appearance that you know what you are doing, and should not be interuppted

[tramp bushler]

When I'm tug boating I wear an irridesant orange hard hat . Guys have told me the only thing they could see in the fog was my hard hat walking across the log rafts .

[KiwiBro]

There is way to muchy cotton wool and

It's an epidemic. The tide of next to useless cotton wool that swamps just about anything that moves tends to dilute the perceived importance of it in the few actually worthwhile applications it has. Wearing my fluro tin foil hat, I'm inclined to muse it's more of a marketing conspiracy by the safety industry to perpetuate their revenue streams under the guise of saving us from ourselves. They probably figure, and not without good cause either, that the more cotton wool they can squeeze into our safety security blankets, the less need there'll be for common sense and respect to be employed by those working in hazardous occupations, thus the safety industry can rely upon an ever rising, self perpetuating stream of bigger and better idjits.

[KiwiBro]

If you doubt that high vis gear works just spend some time loggin in Southeast Alaska or as a Union Laborer in Prudhoe Bay in the winter doing close outs where you are the only person walking around and there are 5 operators in wheel loaders, hoes, dozers + graders . Plus 3 or 4 Teamsters in off highway end dumps or side dumps . Sometimes pulling doubles . .

I wear 2 safety vests , 1 under my parka and 1 over it . I put more reflective tape on my hard hat than you have probably ever seen . . I have a head light on and a blinking red strobe on the back of my hat .

In that context, you'd be wise to paint yourself any and all fluro/reflective colours under the sun. At least that way you can still be productive and safe when the fog/low-vis rolls in.

Here in NZ, the use of hi vis is taken so far out of context it's somewhat pernicious.

[tramp bushler]

The thing that gets me is alot of safety people are lazy culls who hang around with the office trash far too much and only sponser the company policy . What are u gonna see walking around a 5'tall tire . A faded safety vest or a brilliantly colored hard hat . . The hard hat of course . . So why would a dirt and bridge company issue dull grey hard hats ??? Stupid !! At least an aluminum hard hat is shiny . But in the timber industry we have to wear bright red or orange . Florecent ect .

I'm gonna find a strobe to mount on top of my hard hat .

[Gologit]

Hi-vis makes sense. We're not required to wear it yet but I've been hearing rumors. I'd like to see it on the landings, especially when we're loading out the first round before daylight. We have good lights on the shovels but a reflective vest or reflective tape on a hardhat might make it easier to keep track of the guys on the ground.

I don't know if it would make things safer for the fallers or not and, like 2dogs said, there's a lot of resistance to it. We can usually tell where our partner or the guy in the next strip is by watching the trees going down. We try to stay out ahead of the skidding crew far enough that they're not likely to run over us.


I put some of that red reflective tape on my hard hat...mostly out of boredom.


I do think that the foresters, the 'ologists, the safety people, and anybody from the government who comes to the woods should be absolutely required to wear hi-vis clothing including gloves and hat. That way we'll know where they are. And we'll know when they're gone, too.

[slowp]

I do think that the foresters, the 'ologists, the safety people, and anybody from the government who comes to the woods should be absolutely required to wear hi-vis clothing including gloves and hat. That way we'll know where they are. And we'll know when they're gone, too.

Our vests are bright orange when they are new. But, paint gets on them and they fade, or paint leaks or an aerosol can blows up in the pocket...they don't stay bright for long IF the wearer is doing work. Paint also wreaks havoc on the front of hardhats. They become speckled. Gloves? I don't like to wear gloves whilst harassing loggers.

Today I thought about putting flourecent stuff on The Used Dog. I got in the mood to kill some small deformed alders, and almost missed seeing him. Chocolate Labs blend in well with the ground.

I like being seen. Being seen is a good thing.

Eons ago, I came close to getting hit by logs being carried by a laterno (did I spell it right?) It was November, early morning, and we were walking in the log yard to start scaling. I saw the log ends in time to get out of the way. A strobe would have been nice. We were required and did, to wear bright orange vests there. But, they had no reflective tape or lights or anything to help be seen in the dark.

[StihlKiwi]

Here in NZ, the use of hi vis is taken so far out of context it's somewhat pernicious.

Yea its a bit over the top sometimes - the guys who carry clipboards around uni in christchurch at the moment doing 'earthquake remediation' at the moment aren't much more than gophers in orange vest.

I don't see any reason not to wear it in the bush though - it increases visibility (obviously) and is one of the simplest forms of PPE - if you're not wearing it you've probably gone to work without getting dressed.
I have noticed that places where it is mandatory tend to have a wider range of options to suit everyone, so at least we aren't stuck with only a few poorly designed shirts and an old orange parka