In the professional sector, certain protective clothing - e.g. for emergency services, firefighters or road and rail transport workers - must have reflective elements that comply with the European standard DIN EN ISO 20471 in terms of minimum reflective values. However, there are also specifications for high-visibility waistcoats (also known as safety waistcoats) in the private sector. These are regulated in DIN EN 1150. (Discover our reflective films for high-visibility clothing, clearly organised by area of application).
This is how the reflection value check works
As the 
reflective material for textiles | , e.g. Scotchlite™ from 3M™, loses its reflective power over time, compliance with the standard specifications must be checked regularly. With the 3M™ test set, this is now very easy to do: the 3M&trade LIGHT VISION LED safety spectacles | are equipped with two LED lights on the side, which illuminate the reflective test material and the reflective material on the clothing.
Both reflective elements should be viewed at a distance of one arm's length. The brightness of the reflective strip on the clothing can now be compared with the test fields on the card. The value R' should be at least 100 in order to comply with ISO 20471. If it is lower, the Scotchlite™ textile film should be replaced.
The advantages of 3M™ LIGHT VISION LED safety spectacles
The LIGHT VISION safety spectacles replace the special 3M™ Confirm Verifier lamp that was previously frequently used for the 3M™ Confirm Security Laminate Verifier test - the name given to the test of reflective values according to the 3M™ principle.
As the LED lights are attached directly to the brackets, the tester does not have to hold a lamp in his hand, but has both hands free to better hold the reflective strips to be tested and the reflective material on the test card together. This makes it much easier to test the functionality of the reflective warning protection material.
