RIS-3279-TOM is the Rail Industry Standard for high-visibility clothing worn on or near the line in Great Britain. It is not a general clothing law and it does not cover building sites or roads. It adds rail-specific requirements, chiefly fluorescent orange and a minimum of Class 2, on top of the general hi-vis standard, EN ISO 20471. This guide sets out what it requires, when it applies, how it differs from other UK hi-vis rules and what happens when you add a company logo.
TL;DR
- RIS-3279-TOM is the RSSB standard for high-visibility clothing in the railway environment. Issue 2 is the current version in RSSB’s catalogue.
- Rail-spec garments need fluorescent orange background material, at least Class 2 certification and retro-reflective material aligned with EN 20471.
- Applicability comes from a risk assessment. Employers should not assume that any orange garment qualifies.
- Logos and names can reduce the visible material and affect conformity, so check placement and size before you order.
- Check the certified class and the rail-standard marking on each garment. The style alone tells you nothing.
Table of Contents
- What RIS-3279-TOM is
- When it applies
- What the standard requires
- How it relates to EN ISO 20471
- Class 2 and Class 3: what the numbers mean
- Why orange for rail
- Logos and branding on rail hi-vis
- Choosing and maintaining rail hi-vis: a buyer’s checklist
- Our perspective
- Branded hi-vis from Cwear
- FAQ
- Sources
What RIS-3279-TOM is
RSSB publishes the Rail Industry Standards (RISs) for Great Britain’s railways. RIS-3279-TOM covers high-visibility clothing. RSSB’s catalogue lists Issue 2 as the current standard. It sets the minimum requirements for garments worn where people work on the lineside or on or near the railway line.
The RMT union describes the same scope under the older standard, GO/RT3279, which RIS-3279-TOM succeeded. You will still hear rail workers say “3279” for that reason.
Two points often get lost:
- It is an industry standard, not a statute. Its force comes from how railway duty holders apply it.
- It is about garments for rail environments. A construction firm working far from the track has no obligation under it, though a site next to the line may.
When it applies
RSSB states that RIS applicability is established through a robust risk assessment. A licence or SNRP holder must comply with the RISs that apply to it. The exception is where, after consultation, it identifies an equally effective measure that achieves the standard’s purpose.
In practice, the infrastructure manager or railway undertaking decides, and contractors are told what to wear as part of their site access. Infrastructure managers and railway undertakings are responsible for providing hi-vis clothing that meets the standard’s minimum technical requirements. In a company’s own rail PPE policy, you can see how this passes down to supply chains.
If you are writing or reviewing that assessment, what a risk assessment must cover is a useful way to check the structure of your own: hazards, who is exposed, controls and review.
Suppliers cannot make the applicability decision for you. They can tell you what a garment is certified to, and you match that against what your principal contractor or infrastructure manager requires.
What the standard requires
The main requirements are these:
| Requirement | What the standard asks for |
|---|---|
| Background colour | Fluorescent orange, with chromaticity co-ordinates X:0.588, Y:0.371 |
| Luminance factor | At least 0.4 |
| Class | Class 2 garments |
| Retro-reflective material | Aligned with EN 20471 |
Those figures come from an industry guide to PPE for rail operatives. A further point, from a rail PPE management policy, is that the background colour tolerance must stay within specific limits and the luminance factor of 0.4 stays unchanged.
The practical meaning: a garment that is only “orange” or “hi-vis orange” in a product listing is not enough. The fabric has to meet the colour measurements, and the garment has to carry the right certification.
Mini-vests
The same policy notes that the standard permits reduced areas of visible material on mini-vests, provided they conform to the design, disposition and performance requirements in the standard. They are an exception with their own rules. Do not treat them as a general shortcut for ordinary vests.
Fastenings
The RMT’s guidance on personal protective equipment says garments should have secure but quick-release fastenings, such as velcro or pop studs. The reason is safety: a wearer should not become trapped in machinery or by a passing train. If you are choosing a rail-spec vest or jacket, look at the closure as well as the colour.
How it relates to EN ISO 20471
EN ISO 20471 is the general high-visibility standard used across the UK and Europe. It sets requirements for background material, retro-reflective material and the minimum areas of each, and groups garments into classes. It allows three background colours: fluorescent yellow, fluorescent orange-red and fluorescent red.
RIS-3279-TOM works on top of that. The rail standard aligns its retro-reflective requirements with EN 20471 and then narrows the choices for rail use. It picks one colour, fluorescent orange, and sets a floor of Class 2. A garment that is not certified to EN ISO 20471 cannot be a rail-spec garment, but an EN ISO 20471 garment is not automatically rail-spec.
That matters for buyers. A standard hi-vis yellow vest on a general site may be perfectly compliant for that site. The same vest on the lineside is not.
Other UK hi-vis rules you will meet
- Highways work. Road workers have their own requirements for garments and for combinations of garments. Check the traffic management rules for the road you work on.
- Site and client rules. Principal contractors often set a policy for colour, class and logos regardless of the standards.
- PPE law. Under the workplace PPE regulations, an employer must provide suitable PPE where risks are not otherwise controlled. HSE’s guide to PPE at work (L25) is the official reference.
RIS-3279-TOM sits within that last point. It is the sector’s own answer to what “suitable” means for rail hi-vis.
Class 2 and Class 3: what the numbers mean
The classes describe how much visible material a garment has, and so how conspicuous it is. HSE’s guide to personal protective equipment at work describes Class 1 as least conspicuous, Class 2 as greater and Class 3 as the greatest. It associates Class 1 with waistcoats and most trousers, Class 2 with waistcoats, jackets and some trousers, and Class 3 with jackets and coveralls.
RIS-3279-TOM requires at least Class 2. Because the same garment type can fall in different classes, read the certified class on the label or data sheet. Do not infer it from the style.
HSE also explains the purpose: hi-vis clothing signals the wearer’s presence in daylight and under vehicle headlights. On a railway, that signal has to reach a driver who cannot swerve or stop quickly. That is the logic for the higher minimum.
Why orange for rail
Across the UK, fluorescent yellow is the most common hi-vis colour. Orange is used where the surroundings or the operating rules make it stand out better. On the railway, the standard settles the question: orange only. Many rail infrastructure managers and contractors apply full-orange policies, so a garment that is part orange and part yellow may be refused at the gate.
The colour is defined by measurement, as shown in the table above. Two orange garments that look alike to you can differ on those measurements, and only the certification tells you which one meets the standard.
Some frequent questions come from the building trade. Can you wear orange hi-vis on a building site? Usually yes, if the site policy permits it. Orange is certified under EN ISO 20471. Is a pink vest legal? Pink is not one of the three EN ISO 20471 colours, so it would not be certified hi-vis for work where certified hi-vis is needed.
Logos and branding on rail hi-vis
Branding is where most orders go wrong. A logo is printed or embroidered over the visible fluorescent or reflective area. If it covers too much, the garment falls below the minimum areas and stops conforming.
The BSIF’s guidance for PPE distributors and laundries says that logo type and size matter, and that a logo can reduce the visible fluorescent area that EN ISO 20471 requires. It advises asking the manufacturer for guidance on the maximum logo size. Follow that advice before you place an order, not after delivery.
Practical rules we apply when planning a branded hi-vis order:
- Ask for the maximum logo size from the garment manufacturer for the exact style and size range.
- Keep the logo off the reflective tape. Print on the fluorescent panels only where the manufacturer permits it.
- Choose the method with the garment in mind. Embroidery, heat transfer and screen print each behave differently on hi-vis fabric and with washing. Our guide to printing on hi-vis covers the logo rules, methods and placement.
- Request a mock-up and check it against the permitted area before production.
- Plan for reflective logos separately. Our five-stage checklist for reflective logo printing lists what to prepare.
A small left-chest logo and a name on the back panel are often workable on a hi-vis vest. A large back print is the typical problem. It is also where the client’s own brand matters most, so settle the limit with the garment maker first.
Choosing and maintaining rail hi-vis: a buyer’s checklist
Before you buy:
- Confirm with your principal contractor or infrastructure manager what applies to your work. Do not assume.
- Check the garment is certified to EN ISO 20471 at Class 2 or above and marked as meeting RIS-3279-TOM.
- Check the colour is fluorescent orange and meets the standard’s measurements.
- Check the closures are quick-release.
- Get the manufacturer’s logo limit in writing.
- Keep the certificates and declarations of conformity with your PPE records.
After you buy:
- Follow the care label. Washing and wear reduce fluorescence and reflectivity over time.
- Replace garments when the colour fades, the tape peels or cracks, or the garment is damaged.
- Issue replacements as part of a managed process, with someone responsible for checking.
The infrastructure-manager responsibility described earlier is why many rail employers keep a written PPE policy covering all of this.
Our perspective
Most questions we hear about rail hi-vis come down to one mistake: treating colour as the whole requirement. Orange is the visible part. The class, the certification and the logo area are the parts that decide whether a garment is acceptable.
For a uniform buyer, we think the order should run like this. Confirm the requirement first. Choose the certified garment second. Add branding third, within the limits the manufacturer sets. Reversing that order is what leads to a rejected batch.
For general site and highways work, where RIS-3279-TOM does not apply, EN ISO 20471 garments and the site’s own rules are the reference. Our construction workwear guide covers what site crews usually need beyond hi-vis.
— Vinay
Branded hi-vis from Cwear
We supply personalised hi-vis workwear with embroidery and printing, ordered online, with artwork mock-up approval before production. The range includes hi-vis vests and waistcoats, hi-vis jackets and the wider custom hi-vis uniform collection. For rail work, check each product’s certification and colour before you order, and send your logo artwork with your requirements so the placement can be reviewed.
To start an order or request a quote, go to Cwear, where embroidery and printing services and the garment categories are listed.
FAQ
Is RIS-3279-TOM a legal requirement?
It is a Rail Industry Standard, not a general UK law. RSSB says applicability is established through a risk assessment, and a licence or SNRP holder must comply with applicable RISs unless it identifies an equally effective measure. Your employer or the infrastructure manager will tell you whether it applies to your work.
Can I wear a yellow hi-vis vest on the railway?
RIS-3279-TOM specifies fluorescent orange as the background colour, so a yellow garment does not meet it. Where the standard applies, you need an orange garment certified to the rail standard. Ask your principal contractor if you are unsure.
Does a logo make a rail hi-vis garment non-compliant?
It can. BSIF guidance says a logo can reduce the visible fluorescent area required by EN ISO 20471, and that size and type matter. Ask the manufacturer for the maximum logo size for your garment before ordering.
What class of hi-vis does RIS-3279-TOM require?
At least Class 2. HSE describes the classes as increasing in conspicuity from Class 1 to Class 3. Check the certified class on the garment label, because the type of garment does not reliably indicate it.
Sources
- RSSB: RIS-3279-TOM Issue 2, High Visibility Clothing
- RSSB: Complying with legislation
- HSE: Personal protective equipment at work (L25)
- PPE for Rail Operatives
- Rail PPE Management Policy and Procedure
- RMT: Personal Protective Equipment
- BSIF: Guidance for PPE Distributors and Laundry Service
- Drone Filming Risk Assessment in the UK
