79 WORKWEAR CALL 132 100 OR SHOP 24/7 AT RSEA.COM.AU CLICK&COLLECT FREE Pick-up from our Stores AUSTRALIAN / NEW ZEALAND SAFETY CLOTHING STANDARDS RSEA’s extensive range of workwear is designed and selected exclusively for the trades and manufacturing industries, providing comfortable, hard wearing, and easy care workwear. All of our high visibility workwear is certified to Australian Standards, assisting to protect you and your employees from workplace health and safety risks. RSEA also offers options to personalise your workwear by providing embroidery and screen printing services. Adding logos and employee names to workwear ensures that employees are easily identifiable on and off site. Depending on the application, workwear requirements can include reflective taping, high visibility colouring, and sun protection ratings. When selecting workwear for occupational use, the following Australian standards should be reviewed and adhered to as they provide detailed information on the correct workwear for use in high risk workplaces and applications. u AS 4602.1:2024 - High Visibility Safety Garments - Part 1: Garments for High Risk Applications. (To supersede AS/NZS 4602.1:2011) Standard AS 4602.1:2024 refines the classification system to better address a wider range of workplace hazards and operational scenarios. Key changes include: Introduction of Garment Levels: The standard introduces multiple levels within existing classes (Class N and Class D/N) to better differentiate the amount and placement of high-visibility materials based on risk. Coverage of Lower Garments: For the first time, the standard explicitly includes requirements for trousers and the lower portions of coveralls under Class N and Class D/N garments—areas not comprehensively addressed in earlier versions. Garments should be inspected regularly and replaced if they are badly damaged, soiled, or faded, or the retro-reflective material has ceased to be fit for purpose. In constant use, garments should be critically examined at 3-month to 6-month intervals. u AS/NZS 1906.4:2023 - Retro Reflective Materials and Devices for Road Traffic Control Purposes - Part 4: High-Visibility Materials for Safety Garments. (To supersede AS/NZS 1906.4:2010) The purpose of standard AS/NZS 1906.4:2023 is to set minimum requirements for the manufacture of material utilised in high visibility safety garments, including the material of garments that are intended for use at outdoor day time and retro reflective materials for use at night/dark conditions or in garments that will be worn in conditions where the wearer needs to be highly visible. Pink and green have been added to the designated colour spaces. u AS 4399:2020 - Sun Protective Clothing - Evaluation & Classification. The purpose of this standard is to define the requirements of the rated ultraviolet protection factor of sun protective textiles, clothing and other items of personal apparel which is worn close to the skin, specifying appropriate labelling requirements. In Australia people with unprotected fair skin can receive enough UVR (ultra violet radiation) to cause sunburn in about fifteen minutes. If skin is covered by a garment, the UVR exposure is significantly reduced. For example, wearing a long sleeve shirt with a UPF rating of 40 will reduce solar UVR exposure to the skin beneath the garment by a factor of 40. This means a UPF 40 fabric will only allow one fortieth of the UVR to pass through it. AS 4399:2020 advises how fabrics are tested and assigned a UPF rating number and protection category; it is dependent upon how much UV radiation they block out. Rating system: UPF RATING UPF CLASSIFICATION % UV RADIATION BLOCKED 15 Minimum Protection 93.3% 30 Good Protection 96.7% 50, 50+ Excellent Protection 98% This UPF rating is for the fabric and does not address the amount of protection which is afforded by the design of the article. The manipulations involved in garment manufacture such as stretching and sewing may lower the UPF of the material. Articles which have been designed to cover the maximum area of the body are recommended. The protection offered by this item may be lessened: 1. At points where the fabric is in close contact with the skin such as across the shoulders; 2. If the fabric is stretched; 3. If the fabric is wet; and 4. With time, due to the effects of normal wear. u AS/NZS 1020:1995 - The Control of Undesirable Static Electricity This standard provides recommendations relating to the safe control of electrostatic charges generated incidentally by processes or activities. Its purpose is to assist in reducing fire, explosion and nuisance aspects associated with static electricity. Section 5.2 of the standard outlines selection of clothing to be worn to reduce the generation of static electricity. The following fabrics are listed as suitable a) Cotton, b) Polyester 50% and Cotton 50% blend. Safety Clothing Standards - © SAI Global AUSTRALIAN / NEW ZEALAND SAFETY CLOTHING STANDARDS
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