AU2017200427B2

AU2017200427B2 - Garments for hazardous environments

Info

Publication number: AU2017200427B2
Application number: AU2017200427A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Ajay Koushik; Walter Peter
Original assignee: WORKWEAR GROUP Pty Ltd
Current assignee: WORKWEAR GROUP Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2012-07-02
Filing date: 2017-01-20
Publication date: 2022-09-15
Anticipated expiration: 2032-07-02
Also published as: AU2017200427A1

Abstract

A high-visibility garment for providing safety to a wearer in a hazardous environment. The garment includes a high-visibility portion which, when the garment is new, is of a first colour that is definable as having a first set of colour chromaticity coordinates and first 5 luminance factor that provide the aforesaid safety. The garment also includes a colour referencing means providing a substantially permanent reference of a second colour, the second colour being definable as having a second set of colour chromaticity coordinates and a second luminance factor, wherein the second colour represents a colour of decreased visibility, relative to the first colour, for indicating a need to retire the garment. The first and second sets of colour 10 chromaticity coordinates are respectively within and outside a related polygon in the CIE colour space for that colour that is compliant with a safety standard, and the second luminance factor is less than the first luminance factor but greater than or equal to a minimum allowable luminance factor prescribed by the safety standard for the respective colour. 15 213 K'' 11$ 14. (o ~h / / / K. ~ 2 N (a2~ '-44--c 4"' 13S I3~ / "4. N 'dt'r FIG. 2

Description

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Garments for Hazardous Environments

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to high-visibility garments for hazardous environments.

Background of the invention

Garments for hazardous environments are often required to have a high visibility. The garments, sometimes referred to as "safety garments" or "high-vis" garments, are commonly vests or jackets, which may be easily adorned over other clothing. This is a safety measure to help identify the location of people so that hazards that threaten the people can be managed. In the winter months, light levels can be particularly low, making the visibility of the garments especially important.

Such garments may be worn by road users, such as cyclists, or by people involved in equestrian activities. Such garments are also commonly used as workwear. In some hazardous working environments, high-visibility workwear is mandatory, as some countries have a standardised code defining workwear visibility requirements. For example, Australian Standard 1906.4 concerns high-visibility materials for safety garments used in road traffic control. The corresponding European standard is EN 20471. Other relevant hazardous working environments include construction sites and warehouses.

In many safety standards, such as Australian Standard 1906.4, and as referred to herein, colour is defined in respect of perceived colour, by reference to the International Commission on Illumination (commonly abbreviated to CIE for its French name: Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage) definition of colour space as given in CIE standard 54.2. In this definition of colour space, a colour is represented by a given set of colour chromaticity coordinates for yellow, orange and red. To comply with the relevant safety standard a garment's colour chromaticity coordinates must be within an acceptable polygon of the colour space, and the luminance factor for the respective colour must be of a value greater than a defined minimum.

Figure 1 attached hereto, extracted from Australia Standard AS 1906.4, diagrammatically depicts the chromaticity co-ordinate polygons 21, 22, 23 for yellow, orange and red respectively that are compliant with the standard. The shaded smaller sub-spaces 21a, 21b, 21c are those compliant with European standard EN 20471. Minimum luminance factors then apply for each indicated colour and in Australia differ for fluoro colours and non-fluoro colours.

With time and use, the visibility of the high-vis workwear decreases such that the workwear will eventually need to be retired and replaced with new workwear. For example, the workwear may fade as a result of ultraviolet light exposure and repetitive washing, or it may become dirty.

In practice, however, workwear is often not replaced when it should be. Either through poor management or as a result of complacency, on the part of an employer or employee, not enough attention is paid to the condition of the workwear. In some cases, employers may be tempted to cut costs by deferring replacement of worn workwear. In other cases, there may be an intention to replace workwear when it should be replaced, but there is little or no prompt in order for the intention to translate into action.

The present applicant's Australian patent application 2012203875 discloses a concept of a high-visibility garment that includes a colour referencing means such as a label providing a substantially permanent reference of a colour of decreased visibility relative to the garment's high visibility colour for indicating a need to retire the garment. In particular, the luminance factor of the label colour is less than that of the garment but greater than or equal to a minimum allowable luminance factor prescribed by the safety standard for the respective colour.

It is an object of the invention to provide one or more further improvements of the concept '0 disclosed in Australian patent application 2012203875.

Reference to any prior art in the specification is not an acknowledgement or suggestion that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in any jurisdiction or that this prior art could reasonably be expected to be combined with any other piece of prior art by a skilled person in the art. Summary of the invention In a first aspect of the disclosure, the colour of the colour referencing means is characterised by having colour chromaticity co-ordinates outside a related polygon in the CIE colour space.

In the first aspect of the disclosure there is provided a high-visibility garment for providing safety to a wearer in a hazardous environment. The garment includes a high-visibility portion which, when the garment is new, is of a first colour that is definable as having afirst set of colour chromaticity coordinates and first luminance factor that provide the aforesaid safety. The garment also includes a colour referencing means providing a substantially permanent reference of a second colour, the second colour being definable as having a second set of colour chromaticity coordinates and a second luminance factor, wherein the second colour represents a colour of decreased visibility, relative to the first colour, for indicating a need to retire the garment. The first and second sets of colour chromaticity coordinates are respectively within and outside a related polygon in the CIE colour space for that colour that is compliant with a safety standard, and the second luminance factor is less than the first luminance factor but greater than or equal to a minimum allowable luminance factor prescribed by the safety standard for the respective colour.

Preferably the second set of colour chromaticity coordinates are just outside said related polygon in the CIE colour space for the respective colour.

In an embodiment, the colour referencing means may also include a substantially permanent reference of the first colour.

In its second aspect, the disclosure provides a high-visibility garment for providing safety to a wearer in a hazardous environment. The garment includes a high-visibility portion which, when the garment is new, is of a first colour that is definable as having a first set of colour chromaticity coordinates and a first luminance factor that provide the aforesaid safety. '0 The garment also includes a colour referencing means providing a substantially permanent reference of a second colour, the second colour being definable as having a second set of colour chromaticity coordinates and a second luminance factor, wherein the second colour represents a colour of decreased visibility, relative to the first colour, for indicating a need to retire the garment. The colour referencing means is disposed on the front of the garment, secured eg by being sewn in place, at an edge of a pocket or pocket flap.

Preferably, the colour referencing means is a label, chip or tab, e.g. a relatively thin rectangle or square, of a suitable material.

Preferably, the material is such that the second colour is stable against fading relative to the first colour during the life of the garment up to its retirement. The material is preferably inert to sunlight and washing, and also preferably has no affinity to loose dyes during washing. A suitable such material is a silicone.

In a third aspect of the disclosure, and an aspect of the invention, there is provided a high-visibility garment for wearing in a hazardous environment. The garment includes a high visibility portion which, when the garment is new, is of a first colour that is definable as having a first set of colour chromaticity coordinates and a first luminance factor that provide the aforesaid safety. The garment also includes a colour referencing means providing a substantially permanent reference of a second colour, the second colour being definable as having a second set of colour chromaticity coordinates and a second luminance factor, wherein the second colour represents a colour of decreased visibility, relative to the first colour, for indicating a need to retire the garment. The colour referencing means is a label, chip or tab made of silicone.

The workwear garment may be shaped for adornment over a person's torso.

The high visibility portion of the garment may be a majority of the garment.

In another aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method of managing use of the garment according to the first, second or third aspect of the disclosure, wherein the method includes: comparing the colour of the high-visibility portion and the reference of a second colour; and retiring the garment if an outcome of the comparison meets a predefined condition.

Preferably the predefined condition is that the colour of the high-visibility portion matches the second colour. More particularly, the predefined condition may be that the luminance or brightness has faded to the luminance level of the colour referencing means, '0 and/or the colour has faded to the colour of the colour referencing means.

Brief description of the drawings

Further aspects of the present invention and further embodiments of the aspects described in the preceding paragraphs will become apparent from the following description, given by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is an extract from Australia Standard AS 1906.4, being a CIE colour space diagram showing compliant polygons for yellow, orange and red high visibility garments; and

Figure 2 shows a workwear garment, in the form of a high-visibility shirt that is in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 3 is a close-up view showing the fixing of the reference colour chip to the shirt pocket flap.

Detailed description of embodiments of the invention

An embodiment of a workwear garment in accordance with the present invention is shown in Figure 2. In this embodiment, the workwear garment 10 is a jacket or shirt. The garment may alternatively be, inter alia, another type of garment for adorning a person's torso, such as a vest. The jacket or shirt 10 includes a high-visibility portion 112, which may be of a fluorescent or non-fluorescent material, split by reflective horizontal bands 114 over an upper torso portion of the shirt. There are additionally reflective bands 114a on the arms of the shirt. The shirt's forearm portions 122 and lower-torso portion 124, in contrast with the high-visibility portions 112, are not made from high-visibility material. However, the high-visibility portion 112 of the shirt makes up a sufficient proportion of the shirt so that the shirt is still classifiable as a high-visibility shirt.

The high-visibility portion 112 is intended to have a first colour that is definable as having a first set of colour coordinates and a luminance level, which are acceptable for visibility in a hazardous environment. The colour of the high-visibility portion will change in time but, at least when the garment is new, the high-visibility portion is of the first colour. In one embodiment, the first colour meets visibility requirements as set out by the relevant safety standard. For example, the colour is in one of the compliant polygons 21, 22 and 23 in the CIE colour space diagram of Figure 1, and the luminance is compliant with the corresponding minimum luminance factors set out in Table 1.

Table 1: AS 1609.4 Minimum luminance values

Class Colour Minimum Luminance Fluoro orange/orange-red 0.40 red 0.25 yellow 0.70 Non-Fluoro orange 0.30 1 red/orange red 0.15 _yellow 0.40

Fluoro class garments are generally of polyester and polyester rich blend fabrics while non-fluoro class garments, more suitable for hot weather, are typically cotton.

With time and use, the luminance factor decreases and so the workwear fades. Alternatively or additionally, the colour coordinates may change. Eventually the workwear lacks sufficient luminance factor and/or the colour coordinates are no longer within the compliant range for acceptable visibility in the hazardous environment.

To enable monitoring of the colour of shirt 10 as it ages, the shirt includes a colour referencing means 16 on the front exterior of the garment. In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the colour referencing means is a label or chip 16 sewn to the inner vertical edge 131 of a pocket flap 130 so as to project laterally from the flap. The label or chip is secured in place by a stitch line 132 (Figure 3) that also secures a folded over edge strip 133 of the pocket flap. Alternatively, the label or chip 16, may, e.g, be similarly sewn at the inner vertical edge of a pocket, as depicted by broken lines 116. By "inner vertical edge" is meant the side of the pocket or flap nearer the button line 134 of the shirt. The label or chip 16 is used for indicating the degree to which the visibility of the garment has altered over time.

Other less preferred locations for label or chip 16 include on the face of a pocket 135 or flap 130 (e.g. at 116a in Figure 2), within the button line (e.g. on the inside at 116b in Figure 2), and on the inside of the collar of the garment.

Label or chip 16 is a rectangular or square flat, relatively thin, silicone chip, tab or wafer of a uniform colour reference that has a second set of colour chromaticity coordinates and a second luminance factor, wherein the second colour represents a colour of decreased visibility, relative to the first colour, for indicating a need to retire the garment.

In accordance with the first aspect of the invention, the first and second sets of colour chromaticity coordinates are respectively within and outside a related polygon in the CIE colour space for that colour that is compliant with a safety standard (e.g. one of polygons 21, 22, 23 in Figure 1), and the second luminance factor is less than the first luminance factor but greater than or equal to a minimum allowable luminance factor prescribed by the safety standard for the respective colour (e.g. Table 1).

The second colour is selected and maintained on the reference 16 such that when the colour of the garment matches or nearly matches the second colour, this indicates that the garment's end-of-life as a "high-visibility" garment is approaching, and the garment should be retired and replaced. The reference needs to be substantially permanent in the sense that the reference of the second colour is stable enough to provide a useful colour reference for indicating that a need exists to retire the garment. Ideally, the reference 16 does not degrade at all, as this allows for a reference that can truly be relied upon to indicate a fixed lower limit for acceptability of colour. It has been found that silicone chips or tabs provide good stability of colour by being inert to sunlight and washing, and having substantially no affinity to loose dyes during washing. Such chips or tabs of 22mm square, respectively orange and yellow, have been subjected to multiple washing [AS 2001.5.4] and light colour fastness [ISO 105B02] with no significant change in colour or luminance.

The label or chip may optionally include an additional, substantially permanent reference that is a reference of the first colour. This is to provide an adjacent reference of what the colour was when it was new, which may be useful in assessing the degree of colour change that has occurred and the need to replace the garment.

A worker or an employer of the worker can manage the use of the shirt or jacket by comparing the colour of the high-visibility portion 112 and the second colour 16. If an outcome of the comparison meets a predefined condition, the garment is retired. In one embodiment, the predefined condition is that either the colour of the high-visibility portion matches the second colour, and/or the luminance factor of the garment has faded to the luminance level of the label or chip.

The colour reference is illustrated in Figure 2 as a square label or chip, but in other embodiments, the reference may be another shape, or there may be more than one chip.

The placement of the colour reference 16 on the outside of the shirt advantageously enables it to be viewed by another person, when the shirt is being worn and without the other person having to interact with the person wearing the shirt. This allows the colour condition of the shirt to be assessed while it is in use, making it easier to monitor the state of a shirt's colour condition and enabling management to determine, at any given moment, whether shirts being worn by their staff are in compliance with their high-visibility requirements. This location also allows the owner or wearer to be able to easily make the assessment when the shirt is on a hanger in front of him, e.g as he is about to put it on or has just taken it off.

While the above discussion has focussed on torso garments such as shirts, jackets and vests the invention is applicable to any kind of garment and may extend for example to trousers, socks and hats.

Claims

1. A high-visibility garment for wearing in a hazardous environment, the garment including:

a high-visibility portion which, when the garment is new, is of a first colour that is definable as having a first set of colour chromaticity coordinates and a first luminance factor that provide safety; and

a colour referencing means comprising a label, chip or tab made of silicone, providing a substantially permanent reference of a second colour, the second colour being definable as having a second set of colour chromaticity coordinates and a second luminance factor, wherein the second colour represents a colour of decreased visibility, relative to the first colour, for indicating a need to retire the garment.

2. A high-visibility garment according to claim 1 wherein the colour referencing means is a relatively thin rectangle or square.

3. A high-visibility garment according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the workwear garment is shaped for adornment over a person's torso.

4. A high-visibility garment according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the high visibility portion of the garment is a majority of the garment.

5. A high-visibility garment according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the colour referencing means also includes a substantially permanent reference of the first colour.

6. A high-visibility garment according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the colour referencing means is disposed on the front of the garment, secured at an edge of a pocket or pocket flap.

7. A method of managing use of the garment according to any one of the preceding claims including:

comparing the colour of the high-visibility portion and the reference of a second colour; and retiring the garment if an outcome of the comparison meets a predefined condition.

8. A method according to claim 7 wherein the predefined condition is that the colour of a high-visibility portion matches the second colour.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein the predefined condition is that the luminance or brightness has faded to the luminance level of the colour referencing means.

10. A method according to claim 8 wherein the predefined condition is that the colour has faded to the colour of the colour referencing means.