China Updates Mandatory Standard for High Visibility Clothing

China has updated its
mandatory national standard for high visibility protective clothing – GB
20653-2020.

The standard covers
professional use high visibility clothing designed using fluorescent and
retroreflective materials. The intention of the clothing it to provide
conspicuous warning of the worker in an environment where visibility is poor.

GB 20653-2020 contains provisions relating to classes and design, and
the performance of:

  • Background materials
  • Non-fluorescent and
    combined materials
  • Retroreflective and
    combined materials

Among the main technical changes are:

Additions:

  • Some terms and
    definitions
  • Requirement for
    measuring an area of high visibility warning clothing and class rating
  • Chemical
    properties requirements and test methods for
    background and non-fluorescent materials
  • Normative Annex
    D – “positioning of bands of retroreflective material for industrial wash test”
  • Informative Annex
    F – “environment risk level and guidelines for the design of high visibility
    garments”

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Revisions:

  • Standard name
    is updated from ‘
    High visibility warning
    clothing for professional use’ to ‘Protective
    clothing—High visibility warning clothing for
    professional use’
  • Design
    requirements for
    warning clothing
  • Ergonomic
    requirements for
    warning clothing
  • Colorfastness requirements
    for perspiration on
    background and
    non-fluorescent materials
  • Colorfastness requirements
    – domestic and commercial laundering, dry-cleaning, bleaching (hypochlorite),
    hot pressing
  • Dimensional
    change requirements for b
    ackground and
    non-fluorescent materials + test method
  • Mechanical
    properties requirements for
    background and non-fluorescent materials
  • Retroreflective performance
    requirements for separate performance retroreflective
    materials and cancelled three classes
  • Test methods of
    dimensional change after washing or dry-cleaning
  • Graphical
    symbol of high visibility warning clothing and the deletion of the markings
    (indicating Performance Class) of the graphical symbol in
    GB 20653-2006

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Issued by the Standardization
Administration of China, the new standard was included in China’s No. 18
announcement of newly approved national standards for 2020. It replaces the
version iteration – GB 20653-2006 – and will come into effect on August 1, 2021.

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