AU2012203875B2 - Garments for hazardous environments - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract A garment for wearing in a hazardous environment, the garment includes a high-visibility portion which, when the garment is new, is of a first colour that is definable as having a first set of colour chromaticity coordinates and a first luminance factor that are acceptable for visibility 5 in a hazardous environment. A colour referencing means provides a substantially permanent reference of a second colour, the second colour being definable as having a second set of colour chromaticity coordinates and a second luminance factor. The second colour represents a colour of decreased visibility, relative to the first colour, for indicating a need to retire the garment. Also disclosed is a label for a safety garment that includes a high-visibility portion which, when [0 the garment is new, is of a first colour that is definable as having a first set of colour chromaticity coordinates and a first luminance factor that are acceptable for visibility in a hazardous environment. The label includes a reference representing the first colour and a substantially permanent reference of a second colour. The second colour is definable as having a second set of colour chromaticity coordinates and a second luminance factor, wherein the second [5 colour represents a colour that is a faded version of the first colour for indicating a need to retire the garment. 14 12 16 18 20 12 14 Figure 1

Description

P/00/01 1 Regulation 3.2 AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: Garments for hazardous environments The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 2 Garments for Hazardous Environments Field of the invention The present invention relates to garments for hazardous environments. Background of the invention 5 Garments for hazardous environments are often required to have a high visibility. The garments, sometimes referred to as "safety garments", are commonly vests or jackets, which may be easily adorned over other clothing. This is a safety measure to help identify the location of people so that hazards that threaten the people can be managed. In the winter months, light levels can be particularly low, making the visibility of the garments especially important. 10 Such garments may be worn by road users, such as cyclists, or by people involved in equestrian activities. Such garments are also commonly used as workwear. In some hazardous working environments, high-visibility workwear is mandatory, as some countries have a standardised code defining workwear visibility requirements. For example, Australian Standard 1906.4:2010 concerns high-visibility materials for safety garments used in road traffic control. 15 Other relevant hazardous working environments include construction sites and warehouses. With time and use, the visibility of the workwear decreases such that the workwear will eventually need to be retired and replaced with new workwear. For example, the workwear may fade as a result of ultraviolet light exposure, or it may become dirty. In practice, however, workwear is often not replaced when it should be. Either through 20 poor management or as a result of complacency, on the part of an employer or employee, not enough attention is paid to the condition of the workwear. In some cases, employers may be tempted to cut costs by deferring replacement of worn workwear. In other cases, there may be an intention to replace workwear when it should be replaced, but there is little or no prompt in order for the intention to translate into action. 25 3 Summary of the invention In one aspect of the invention there is provided a high-visibility garment for providing safety to a wearer in a hazardous environment, the garment includes a high-visibility portion which, when the garment is new, is of a first colour that is definable as having a first set of 5 colour chromaticity coordinates and a first luminance factor that provide said safety. The garment also includes a colour referencing means providing a substantially permanent reference of a second colour, the second colour being definable as having a second set of colour chromaticity coordinates and a second luminance factor, wherein the second colour represents a colour of decreased visibility, relative to the first colour, for indicating a need to retire the 10 garment. The second luminance factor is less than the first luminance factor but greater than or equal to a minimum allowable luminance factor prescribed by a safety standard. In one embodiment, the first and second colour coordinates are the same. Alternatively, the first and second sets of colour chromaticity coordinates are selected to be different from each other. 15 Preferably, the colour referencing means also includes a substantially permanent reference of the first colour. In one embodiment, the first colour meets visibility requirements as set out by a safety standard. The high-visibility portion may be a majority of the garment. 20 Preferably, the colour referencing means is a label. Preferably, the label is of a material whereby the second colour is stable against fading relative to the first colour during the life of the garment up to its retirement. The label is preferably inert to sunlight and washing, and also preferably has no affinity to loose dyes during washing. 25 The workwear garment may be shaped for adornment over a person's torso. In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of managing use of the garment, wherein the method includes: comparing the colour of the high-visibility portion and 4 the reference of a second colour; and retiring the garment if an outcome of the comparison meets a predefined condition. Preferably the predefined condition is that the colour of the high-visibility portion matches the second colour. 5 In a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a label for a safety garment, the safety garment including a high-visibility portion which, when the garment is new, is of a first colour that is definable as having a first set of colour chrom7aticity coordinates and a first luminance factor that are acceptable for visibility in a hazardous environment. The label includes: a reference representing the first colour; a substantially permanent reference of a 10 second colour, the second colour being definable as having a second set of colour chromaticity coordinates and a second luminance factor, wherein the second colour represents a colour that is a faded version of the first colour for indicating a need to retire the garment. The second luminance factor is less than the first luminance factor but greater than or equal to a minimum allowable luminance factor prescribed by a safety standard. 15 Brief description of the drawings Further aspects of the present invention and further embodiments of the aspects described in the preceding paragraphs will become apparent from the following description, given by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 shows a workwear garment, in the form of a high-visibility safety vest that is in 20 accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 shows a high-visibility shirt, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 3 depicts, in greyscale, two examples of pairs of colour references for the shirt in Figure 2. 25 Detailed description of the embodiments An embodiment of a workwear garment in accordance with the present invention is shown in Figure 1. In this embodiment, the workwear garment 10 is a safety vest. The garment may alternatively be, inter alia, another type of garment for adorning a person's torso, such as a 5 jacket or shirt. The vest 10 includes a high-visibility portion 12, which may be of a fluorescent or non-fluorescent material. In many safety standards, such as Australian Standard 1906.4:2010, and as referred to herein, colour is defined in respect of perceived colour, by reference to the International 5 Commission on Illumination (commonly abbreviated to CIE for its French name: Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage) definition of colour space as given in CIE standard 54.2. In this definition of colour space, a colour is represented by a given set of colour chromaticity coordinates and a luminance factor. To comply with the relevant safety standard a vest's colour chromaticity coordinates must be within an acceptable range, and the luminance factor for that 10 colour coordinate must be of an acceptable value. Therefore, the high-visibility portion 12 is intended to have a first colour that is definable as having a first set of colour coordinates and a luminance level, which are acceptable for visibility in a hazardous environment. The colour of the high-visibility portion will change in time but, at least when the garment is new, the high-visibility portion is of the first colour. In one 15 embodiment, the first colour meets visibility requirements as set out by the relevant safety standard. The vest 10 may optionally include reflective surfaces arranged in vertical and horizontal bands 14 that divide the high-visibility portion into various segments. However, such reflective surfaces are not required for daytime use. Thus, for a daytime only garment, rather than 20 including reflective bands, the high-visibility portion may make up the entire garment. With time and use, the luminance factor decreases and so the workwear fades. Alternatively or additionally, the colour coordinates may change. Eventually the workwear lacks sufficient luminance factor and/or the colour coordinates are no longer within the acceptable range for acceptable visibility in the hazardous environment. 25 To enable monitoring of the colour of vest 10 as it ages, the vest 10 includes a colour referencing means 16 which, in the embodiment shown in Figure 1, is a label inside the back neck-opening of the vest. Alternatively, the colour referencing means could be a series of labels or a coloured material that is otherwise attached to, or forms part of, the vest. The label 16 is used for indicating the degree to which the visbility of the garment has altered over time.

6 This is achieved by providing on the label 16 a substantially permanent reference 18 of a second colour. The second colour, as displayed by the reference 18, is definable as having a second set of colour chromaticity coordinates and a second luminance factor, wherein the second colour represents a colour of decreased visibility, relative to the first colour, for indicating a need 5 to retire the garment. The second colour is selected and maintained on the reference 18 such that when the colour of the garment matches or nearly matches the second colour, this indicates that the garment's end-of-life as a "high-visibility" garment is approaching, and the garment should be retired and replaced. The reference needs to be substantially permanent in the sense that the 10 reference 18 of the second colour is stable enough to provide a useful colour reference for indicating that a need exists to retire the garment. Ideally, the reference 18 does not degrade at all, as this allows for a reference that can truly be relied upon to indicate a fixed lower limit for acceptability of colour. It has been found that heat-set polyurethane labels provide good stability of colour. However, other label materials or colour referencing constructions may also be 15 suitable. Commonly, as such safety vests wear out and their colour fades, the colour chromaticity coordinates remain the same but the luminance factor decreases. To account for this scenario it is preferable for the reference 18 of the second colour to be such that the first and second colour coordinates are the same, but the second luminance factor is less than the first luminance factor. 20 In this case, the second colour represents a colour that is a faded version of the first colour for indicating a need to retire the garment. The second colour may be selected to have a luminance factor that is just greater than, or even equal to, a minimum allowable luminance factor prescribed by the safety standard. In one embodiment, the first luminance factor is about 165% of the first luminance factor. 25 In other scenarios, for example in very dirty environments, it may be that the colour coordinates change, in which case at least the first and second colour coordinates would be different. The label may optionally include an additional, substantially permanent reference 20, which is a reference of the first colour. This is to provide a reference of what the colour was 7 when it was new, which may be useful in assessing the degree of colour change that has occurred and the need to replace the garment. A worker or an employer of the worker can manage the use of the vest by comparing the colour of the high-visibility portion 12 and the second colour 18, provided on the label 16. If an 5 outcome of the comparison meets a predefined condition, the garment is retired. In one embodiment, the predefined condition is that the colour of the high-visibility portion matches the second colour. To emphasize the distinction between the first, new colour of the vest and the reference of the second colour, the label has references 18 and 20 being side by side and of the same size. 10 In another embodiment (not shown), one of the references partly or entirely surrounds the other reference. The references are illustrated in Figure 1 as square colour samples, but in other embodiments, the references may be other shapes, and can be shaped differently to each other. In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the garment is a high-visibility shirt 100, as is illustrated in Figure 2. The shirt 100 includes a high-visibility portion 112, having the 15 same colour characteristics as described in relation to Figure 1. The high-visibility portion 112 is split by reflective horizontal bands 114 over an upper-torso portion of the shirt. There are additionally reflective bands 114a on the arms of the shirt. The shirt's forearm portions 122 and lower-torso portion 124, in contrast with the high-visibility portions 112, are not made from high-visibility material. However, the high-visibility portion 112 of the shirt makes up a 20 sufficient proportion of the shirt so that the shirt is still classifiable as a high-visibility shirt. The shirt has a label 116 immediately beneath the collar 126, on the inside of the shirt. The label 116 is same as label 16 of Figure 1, except that the corresponding first colour reference 120 is above the second colour references 118, rather than being side by side. Optionally, in addition to or instead of label 116, the shirt can include labels in other locations, such as colour 25 reference chips 120a, 1 18a, of the first and seconds colours, respectively. The reference chips are, like labels 16, 116, heat-set polyurethane labels of a stable colour, but rather than being colour references on a portion of the label as in label 16, 116, the entire label is the reference colour. The reference chips are 11 8a, 120a are sown onto an internal surface of the shirt between adjacent buttons 127 running vertically down the front of the shirt. The location of the chips, 30 being so close to the buttons, allows them to be easily accessed to evaluate the shirts colour 8 condition. However, since they are on an internal surface of the shirt, they are shaded from ultraviolet light and kept clean, making it easier for the colour of the chips to be maintained. Figure 3 depicts two exemplary pairs of colour references suitable to be the colour references 120,118. These examples are greyscale photocopies of the originals which are in 5 colours typical of a high visibility shirt, e.g. yellow or orange. They do nevertheless show the fading that occurs. The examples also demonstrate how the references can be patterned colour chips and need not be uniform rectangular blocks of colour. Each reference includes an associated tag line "Compliant to AS/NZS 1906.4:2010 or "Non Compliant to AS/NZS 1906.4:2010". l0 Another useful place to locate the at least one colour reference is beneath pocket flap 128, on a region 129 of the pocket that is normally covered by the pocket flap. Since region 129 is normally covered, it is protected from ultraviolet light and other potentially colour-degrading environmental factors. Thus, region 129 will substantially maintain the colour of shirt, as new, and can therefore function as the colour reference for the first colour. The second colour [5 reference is provided by chip 1 18b sown onto region 129. As will be appreciated, by having the colour references at a location, such as region 129, that is sufficiently protected from colour degradation, the colour references need not be polyurethane labels sown onto the shirt, but rather, may be the different portions of the fabric itself. 20 The colour references may, additionally or alternatively, be located on an exterior surface of the shirt. In this case, since the colour references are exposed, a highly stable colour reference is required, such as provided by the polyurethane heat-set labels. In Figure 2, chips 11 8c, 120c are sown onto the outside of pocket flap 130. The placement of the chips on the outside of the shirt advantageously enables them to be viewed by another person, when the shirt is being worn 25 and without the other person having to interact with the person wearing the shirt. This allows the colour condition of the shirt to be assessed while it is in use, making it easier to monitor the state of a shirt's colour condition and enabling management to determine, at any given moment, whether shirts being worn by their staff are in compliance with their high-visibility requirements. Since the second colour references 18, 118a, 118b, 118c of the embodiments herein 30 described are designed to be maintain their colour in accordance with a known colour reference 9 or standard, it will be appreciated that a reference of the first, new colour need not be provided. Even without the first colour reference, a person may easily determine that when the garment colour is close to (or, less subjectively, matches) the second colour reference, the garment is due for retirement. 5 While the above discussion has focussed on torso garments such as vests, shirts and jackets, the invention is applicable to any kind of garment and may extend for example to trousers, socks and hats.

Claims (15)

1. A high-visibility garment for providing safety to a wearer in a hazardous environment, the garment including: a high-visibility portion which, when the garment is new, is of a first colour that is 5 definable as having a first set of colour chromaticity coordinates and a first luminance factor that provide said safety; a colour referencing means providing a substantially permanent reference of a second colour, the second colour being definable as having a second set of colour chromaticity coordinates and a second luminance factor, wherein the second colour represents a colour of 0 decreased visibility, relative to the first colour, for indicating a need to retire the garment, the second luminance factor is less than the first luminance factor but greater than or equal to a minimum allowable luminance factor prescribed by a safety standard

2. A garment according to claim 1, wherein the first and second sets of colour chromaticity coordinates are selected to be different from each other, the need to retire the garment being 5 indicated by both the reduced luminance factor and the different colour chromaticity co ordinates.

3. A garment according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the colour referencing means also includes a substantially permanent reference of the first colour.

4. A garment according to claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein the first colour meets visibility .0 requirements as set out by the safety standard.

5. A garment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the high-visibility portion is a majority of the garment.

6. A garment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the colour referencing means is a label. 5

7. A garment according to claim 6, wherein the label is of a material whereby the second colour is stable against fading relative to the first colour during the life of the garment up to its retirement. 10

8. A garment according to claim 7, wherein the label is at least one heat-set polyurethane.

9. A garment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the garment is shaped for adornment over a person's torso.

10. A method of managing use of a garment in accordance with any one of the preceding 5 claims, wherein the method includes: comparing the colour of the high-visibility portion and the reference of the second colour; and retiring the garment if an outcome of the comparison meets a predefined condition.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the predefined condition is that the colour of 0 the high-visibility portion matches the second colour.

12. A label for a safety garment, the safety garment including a high-visibility portion which, when the garment is new, is of a first colour that is definable as having a first set of colour chromaticity coordinates and a first luminance factor that are acceptable for visibility in a hazardous environment, the label including: 5 a reference representing the first colour; a substantially permanent reference of a second colour, the second colour being definable as having a second set of colour chromaticity coordinates and a second luminance factor, wherein the second colour represents a colour that is a faded version of the first colour for indicating a need to retire the garment, wherein the second luminance factor is less than the first .0 luminance factor but greater than or equal to a minimum allowable luminance factor prescribed by a saftely standard.

13. A label according to claim 12, wherein the first and second sets of colour chromaticity coordinates are selected to be different from each other, the need to retire the garment being indicated by both the reduced luminance factor and the different colour chromaticity co 5 ordinates.

14. A label according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the colour referencing means also includes a substantially permanent reference of the first colour. 11

15. A label according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the first colour meets visibility requirements as set out by the safety standard. 12