Safety workwear gets a bright idea

A British company is leading the way in the development of new high visibility personal protective equipment (PPE).

Already celebrating contracts with the likes of Balfour Beatty, London Underground and National Rail, Fhoss has developed its battery-powered safety clothing. Instead of requiring ambient light to activate its luminescence, each item of workwear is fitted with a power cell providing up to 15 hours of continuous light.

The founder of the firm, Andrew Kimitri, is eager to tap into the £9 billion PPE market. With the second busiest airport in the world also a customer, Kimitri explained there are no limits to where the clothing can be used. He commented:

“The products make it much easier to see how many people are working on a road or down a mine.

“The tower at Gatwick Airport can now see workers on the runway.

“If a car is travelling at 70mph on the motorway, our products can have a significant impact on stopping distances.”

Network Rail has told Fhoss that the clothing allows its workers to be seen up to 1.5 miles away.

The clothing is also more resistant to climatic conditions. Traditional high visibility clothing loses reflectivity in the rain, while the new clothing does not. It can also be cleaned in a washing machine, with the reflective strips remaining good after more than 20 washes.

In development for three years, Fhoss was backed through a £750,000 round of seed funding, with the firm hoping to hit £10m in revenue within five years.