EN 17353:2020 is the European standard that defines visibility requirements for protective clothing used in medium-risk environments. Unlike EN ISO 20471, which applies to high-risk scenarios such as highways or emergency rescue operations, EN 17353 focuses on environments with lower traffic speeds and fewer operational hazards. The goal is simple: ensure that individuals in day-to-day, medium-risk settings are clearly visible at all times.
This standard applies to workers, cyclists, joggers, warehouse staff, parking lot inspectors, and anyone exposed to vehicle speeds ≤60 km/h, or ≤15 km/h when the wearer is passive (e.g., warehouse zones). EN 17353 defines the necessary color performance, placement, and reflective material area to ensure visibility during daytime, dusk, nighttime, and low-light conditions.
The standard classifies risk into three levels:
High risk (EN ISO 20471) – high-speed traffic >60 km/h, requiring maximum visibility.
Medium risk (EN 17353) – active workers in environments ≤60 km/h or passive workers in ≤15 km/h areas.
Low risk – daily apparel with no mandatory visibility requirements.
By defining color brightness, reflective performance, and minimum visibility areas, EN 17353 ensures safety through garment design rather than relying solely on user behavior. This makes the standard especially relevant for modern workplaces, urban mobility users, and commercial safety apparel manufacturing.
