Safety Clothing
| Published date | 01 August 1970 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X7004300812 |
| Author | Paul Harris |
| Date | 01 August 1970 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
INSPECTOR
PAUL
HARRIS
Somerset and Bath Constabulary
Motoring Correspondent of
THE
POLICE
JOURNAL
SAFETY
tJLOTDING
For a long time we have been conscious of the need to provide
adequate safety clothing for use by police officers. We are
called upon to occupy the roads by day and night, in and out of
built up areas in the most widely varying permutations of weather
and background conditions. Considering the many hours that
are spent in these vulnerable positions the number of incidents is
surprisingly small, due in no small part, I suspect, to the agility
of the officers engaged! Unfortunately when physical conflicts
do occur between the police officer and the motor vehicle serious
or even fatal injuries often result.
The Reports of the Netherlands Institute for
Road
Safety
Research have been previously mentioned in this column and
some findings from their studies on conspicuity clothing may be
of interest when added to the results of experiments carried out
in Britain. The Institute's research considered a wide variety of
factors and conditions during tests both in the laboratory and on
the road. Fluorescent orange was found to be the most con-
spicuous colour for wear during daylight and at dusk. White was
found to be one of the worst colours tested for conspicuity in
daylight and the practice of the Netherlands Traffic Police (like
many of ours) of wearing white coats for traffic control was con-
demned.
TJ;1e
police group posed special problems with its 24
hour working as the most suitable material during darkness is
reflective white. Further tests revealed
that
the minimum area
for conspicuity was 1,500 square centimetres. Larger areas are
preferred, but this is more important for the fluorescent orange
in daylight than for the outstanding properties of reflective white
during darkness. The Institute recommends, therefore, that
coats for police use should be fluorescent orange fitted with
panels of reflective white material.
The subjects interviewed were generally dissatisfied with pre-
sent materials and garment designs which resulted in a reluctance
to wear conspicuity clothing (I believe the same could be said of
many British police officers). Cloth was required which pos-
sessed adequate fluorescent and reflective properties and which
could be made into a garment that was waterproof, durable and
caused no physical discomfort to the wearer, particularly when
he would be perspiring during the performance of exacting tasks.
The Institute envisaged a fabric such as lightweight gaberdine
August
1970 397
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