Hi-Vis Workwear Standards in Australia (AS 4602.1:2024)

High-visibility clothing in Australia is governed by AS 4602.1:2024, the standard that sets out how fluorescent and retroreflective garments must be designed for people exposed to moving traffic, plant or equipment. If your team works near vehicles, forklifts or mobile plant, compliant hi-vis isn't a preference — it's part of your duty of care under work health and safety law, and it's the difference between being seen and being missed.

Which standard applies right now?

AS 4602.1:2024 was published on 28 June 2024 and supersedes AS/NZS 4602.1:2011. It is the third edition of the standard, which originated as AS/NZS 4602:1999 and was jointly revised and redesignated as AS/NZS 4602.1:2011. One change catches a lot of people out: for the 2024 edition, Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand agreed to publish it as an Australian Standard rather than a joint Australian/New Zealand Standard. So the correct reference today is AS 4602.1:2024, not AS/NZS 4602.1. You will still see the older AS/NZS 4602.1:2011 label on stock in circulation and on plenty of websites — that edition has been superseded.

The standard applies to occupational high-visibility garments for high risk applications. It specifically excludes garments for use by fire services, which are covered by their own specifications.

Two standards, two different jobs

Compliance is set by a pair of documents. Mixing them up is the single most common source of confusion on Australian sites:

• AS 4602.1:2024 — garment design. How the materials are arranged on the body: how much fluorescent fabric, where the tape goes, how wide it must be, and how the finished garment is classified.
• AS/NZS 1906.4:2023 — materials. How bright the fluorescent fabric must be and how much light the retroreflective tape must bounce back, including after abrasion, washing, UV exposure and weathering.

In short: the material standard says what the fabric and tape must do; the garment standard says how they must be put together. A garment only complies when both are satisfied, and the compliance label should tell you so.

Garment classes: D, N, D/N and R

Australian hi-vis garments are classified by the light conditions they are designed for. These are the classes you will see on the label:

• Class D — daylight use only. Fluorescent material for daytime conspicuity, with no retroreflective tape. Common for warehouse work, yard duties and site tasks well away from vehicle movements.
• Class N — night use only. Designed to be seen by retroreflected light, typically on a darker background garment.
• Class D/N — day and night use. Fluorescent body material plus retroreflective tape. This is the default choice for most Australian construction, civil and logistics crews, because it covers an entire shift that runs into the evening.
• Class R — roadwork. For traffic control and road-work environments, with additional requirements reflecting the higher risk of live traffic.

A note for anyone comparing overseas suppliers: the “Class 1, Class 2, Class 3” numbering you see on imported workwear belongs to the US ANSI/ISEA 107 system, not the Australian one. A garment labelled “Class 3” is not automatically compliant here. Always check for the Australian class marking (D, N, D/N or R) on the label.

Material classes under AS/NZS 1906.4

The materials standard classifies fabric and tape by what they do:

• Class F — fluorescent material, for daytime conspicuity.
• Class R — retroreflective material, for night-time conspicuity.
• Class RF — material that is both fluorescent and retroreflective.
• Class NF — non-fluorescent material, which includes natural fibres such as cotton drill. These have a lower chromaticity level and more limited applications, so check the garment's declared class carefully before assuming a cotton drill shirt is suitable for your task.

How much coverage and tape do you need?

The design standard is prescriptive about area and tape width. The widely applied benchmarks are:

• Fluorescent material must cover a minimum of 0.4 m² across the upper torso and encircle the body, so the wearer is identifiable from any direction.
• Retroreflective tape must be at least 50 mm wide (or two parallel 25 mm rows) and encircle the torso, so the outline of a person is readable to a driver.
• Logos, text and printed graphics do not count toward the required coverage area, and branding placed over tape breaks the continuous reflective line.

AS 4602.1:2024 also introduced new levels of conspicuity within each garment class, along with specifications for garment arms and legs, revised wash requirements referenced to AS/NZS 1906.4, new definitions for garment reference points, and added durability requirements. Lower-body garments such as trousers and overalls are now explicitly addressed.

Approved colours

Not every bright colour qualifies. The standard recognises a defined set of fluorescent colours for compliant hi-vis, including orange-red, red, yellow, green, pink and orange. Anything outside that list is not recognised as compliant hi-vis on an Australian site, no matter how bright it looks in a showroom.

Choosing between yellow and orange is usually about contrast with the background. Orange-red reads strongly against vegetation and earthworks, while yellow tends to stand out against bitumen, shadow and built environments. The rule that matters most is contrast with the surroundings — and making sure both the fluorescent background and the tape are present, not just one of them.

Day vs night: the mistake behind most incidents

A Class D garment must never be relied on for visibility at night. It has no retroreflective tape, so headlights have nothing to bounce back to the driver. A day-only polo can be perfectly appropriate in a well-lit depot and completely inadequate on an unlit road at 5am.

If your shift can run past dusk, or your people move between lit and unlit areas, specify Class D/N as the default rather than trying to police which garment is worn at which hour.

Branding your hi-vis without breaking compliance

This is where a lot of otherwise compliant garments get invalidated. Because decoration cannot be counted toward the fluorescent coverage requirement, an oversized logo can push the compliant area below the minimum — and a logo printed across the tape breaks the reflective line the standard is built around.

• Keep branding small and positioned away from the retroreflective bands.
• Avoid placing artwork across the torso tape, where it interrupts the encircling line.
• Have decoration done as part of the original garment supply, and ask for confirmation that the finished garment still meets its declared class.

For a deeper comparison of decoration methods, see our guide to embroidery vs printing for workwear.

Washing, wear and when to replace

Reflective performance degrades over time. Retroreflective tape is typically rated for a limited number of wash cycles, and fluorescent fabric loses chromaticity with UV exposure — which is why a garment that looked bright on day one can fail a colour check a season later.

• Follow the care label, and avoid harsh detergents and bleach.
• Keep hi-vis separate from heavily soiled or abrasive loads where practical.
• Inspect regularly for fading, peeling or cracked tape, and pull damaged garments from service rather than waiting for an audit.
• Keep a simple issue-and-replace register with purchase dates.

Choosing by industry

• Warehousing and logistics — Class D/N as a safe default, since loading docks run around the clock and light levels vary within a single shift.
• Construction and civil — Class D/N garments with tape that survives dust, mud and repeated washing.
• Traffic control and roadwork — Class R, specified against the traffic guidance for the site.
• Facilities, cleaning and hospitality-adjacent roles — often lower risk, but still require a documented risk assessment rather than an assumption.

Whatever the industry, the class should follow from a risk assessment of the actual task, environment and hours — not from what happens to be cheapest in the container.

Shop compliant hi-vis

Our hi-vis range covers polos, drill shirts, jackets, hoodies and vests for Australian conditions, with logo embroidery and printing available. A few starting points:

• Hi-Vis Two-Tone Polo 1310 — breathable short-sleeve hi-vis for warm sites and layered summer work.
• Taped Hi-Vis L/S Drill Shirt J0078 — long-sleeve cotton drill with retroreflective tape for day/night coverage.
• Hi-Vis Jacket JOO82 — higher-coverage outer layer for cooler and higher-risk roles.
• Hi-Vis Safety Vest 11528 — a simple way to bring visitors, contractors or short-term staff up to the required class.
• Hi-Vis Full Zip Fleecy Hoodie 1588 — warmth without losing the fluorescent body and tape coverage.

Need help specifying?

Unsure which class your crew needs, or want your logo added without invalidating compliance? Talk to our team for advice on compliant, branded hi-vis workwear delivered Australia-wide. You can also read our workwear buying guide and our complete Australian workwear guide.

This article is general guidance only, current at the time of writing. Always confirm the declared class on the garment label and check the requirements that apply to your state or territory and your specific risk assessment.