Lives are at risk
June 1st 2006

Non-conforming workwear is putting lives at risk, according to REMA (The Retroreflective Equipment Manufacturers Association).

Faulty high visibility clothing recently discovered by members of the REMA High Visibility Subcommittee indicates that a great deal of high visibility clothing on sale in the UK fails to meet BS EN 471.

Mike Mason, chair of REMA, says "With lives potentially at risk, the situation has become very serious. We therefore plan to highlight the problem with a campaign of testing and non-conformance reporting to Trading Standards Officers.

"The problem in many cases is that high visibility garments, particularly lightweight waistcoats, are considered a commodity item where the lowest price is the major factor. Here, compliance with essential BS EN471 safety standards is being disregarded." REMA believes there are too many suppliers, importers in particular, who may not fully understand, or perhaps tend to ignore, the legal requirement of the standard in order to cut corners.

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