The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued an Interim Final Rule to address safety concerns raised by the firefighting community regarding high-visibility safety apparel (see Worker Visibility Final Rule – 23 CFR Part 634, below).
The Interim Final Rule:
- Revises the definition of “worker” to exclude firefighters when they are exposed to flame, fire, high heat or hazardous materials.
- Exempts firefighters from the requirement to use high-visibility safety apparel, as defined in this rule, when they are exposed to hazardous conditions where the use of such apparel may increase the risk of injury to firefighter personnel.
The Interim Final Rule is available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-27671.htm
Worker Visibility Final Rule – 23 CFR Part 634
A new FHWA regulation (Worker Visibility Final Rule – 23 CFR Part 634) that goes into effect on November 24, 2008 requires firefighters and other first responders responding to or working at an incident on federally funded highways to wear a retro reflective safety vest that meets the Class II or III standards of the American National Standards Institute/International Safety Equipment Association (ANSI/ISEA) 107-2004 publication. The ANSI/ISEA 207-2006 Public Safety Vest standard has also been interpreted as meeting this requirement. For more information, visit ResponderSafety.com.
