EN 17353 - Protective clothing 

Questions and answers about EN 17353* 

What is EN 17353? 

EN 17353 is a European standard for protective clothing for visual signalling of the wearer in medium-risk situations in all daylight conditions (day visibility through fluorescent background material) and/or when illuminated by vehicle headlights or searchlights in the dark (night visibility through reflective material). 

What is the difference between the EN 17353 and EN ISO 20471 standards?

Both standards describe visibility requirements for protective clothing. Protective clothing certified to EN ISO 20471 must be worn in high-risk areas, such as construction sites near fast-moving traffic, where workers are exposed to the dangers of road traffic. More about EN ISO 20471. 

EN 17353, on the other hand, is designed for clothing for medium-risk activities - for example in industry, the energy sector and metal construction - and is also used in the sports and leisure sector. Protective clothing in accordance with EN 17353 is not divided into high-visibility protection classes, but into different types.

*As these are abbreviated summaries of binding occupational safety standards, this article does not claim to fully reflect the requirements defined in the standards. Although this article is regularly revised by our experts, we cannot accept any liability for the correctness of the information provided.

What are the areas of application for protective clothing in accordance with EN 17353?

EN 17353 - Type B for use in the dark 

A trend can be observed in which protective clothing and workwear is increasingly being equipped with additional visibility elements without fulfilling the full requirements of EN ISO 20471. The clothing is used in medium risk situations. 

One example of this is reflective strips on the limbs of Med & Care clothing, so that employees of mobile care services are more visible when crossing the road in the dark. Reflective strips on clothing also help employees in logistics or production companies to carry out their work safely at dusk and in the dark or in poor visibility conditions.

We therefore also offer subsequent reflective stripe finishing in accordance with EN 17353 (type B2 or B3) for selected collections. The image on the left shows examples of reflective striping on work trousers.

EN 17353 - Type A for daytime use 

However, if there is a risk of not being seen during the day, fluorescent protective clothing in accordance with EN 17353, type A, is used. This clothing can be used in waste and disposal companies, such as shirts in high-visibility colour for increased visibility during the day. 

Shirts can either support a clothing system in accordance with EN ISO 20471 or be worn individually in medium risk situations. Find our selection of shirts according to EN 17353 (Type A) here.

What is the difference between EN ISO 20471 Class 1 garments and EN 17353 Type AB garments? 

Type AB garments must have a larger area of fluorescent background material, whereas class 1 requires more retroreflective surface. EN 17353 clothing is primarily designed for activities that involve active participation in road traffic, while EN ISO 20471 clothing is worn when the wearer is carrying out an activity close to road traffic where there is a high risk of being overlooked and where they need to be protected from road traffic by visual signalling. 

The following also applies here: The selection of suitable clothing depends on the area of use and is determined as part of a risk assessment. In general, EN 17353 allows more design freedom in terms of the arrangement of the background areas, the width of the reflective strips and the range of fluorescent background colours. 

If you would like to find out more about different reflective striping technologies or the materials used to increase contrast, read our article on EN ISO 20471.