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EN 13356
Visibility accessories for non-professional use

High visibility accessories are items intended to be worn by individuals, they include slap wraps, belts and dangling accessories. They are only assessed for their retro-reflectivity.

Physical Performance

Accessories are treated according to their type, which considers whether they are to be seen as dangling, free-hanging, items, or attached to, or worn on, a person. They are also considered according to whether they are made of rigid plastic material, for example, or flexible material. In all cases accessories are treated to various pre-treatments to determine if their conditions of use might change their retro-reflective performance.

Accessory Assessment

All accessories have to meet design criteria, which means that specific minimum and maximum area requirements are met. Because of the nature of visibility accessories, they are, perhaps, primarily intended for children. They may also be considered against the requirements of toy safety regulations or standards.

Chemistry Testing

The PPE Directive demands that materials used in PPE are not harmful to a user. Therefore, a certain amount of chemical testing is required of high-visibility accessories. Tests are usually conducted to determine whether substances that are prohibited from use are present, or whether substances that are present are there in limited amounts.