School Crossing Patrol FAQ

EN343 is the European standard for Protective clothing: Protection against rain. The standard encompasses both waterproofing and breathability. There are 3 classes for each within EN343, the highest being Class 3.

By applying hydrostatic pressure to the fabric and measuring (in Pascals) the point at which the water penetrates the fabric. To pass the highest level in EN343 (Class 3) a fabric must reach 13000pa. There is no such thing as a “100% waterproof” fabric – this is the scientific way to measure waterproofness.

A fabric’s waterproofness can be provided in two ways – either a waterproof coating that is applied to the fabric, or a membrane (thin film) adhesive laminated to the textile layer. A waterproof coating comes off with wear and washing, whereas laminated fabric maintains its waterproofness for the life of the garment.

Breathability is how well water vapour(perspiration) passes from inside a garment to outside, and can be measured in two ways. First, how much vapour a square metre of fabric will allow to pass through in 24 hours (gm/m2/24). Second, the evaporative resistance of the fabric (RET) – the lower the RET value, the higher the breathability. To meet EN343 Class 3 (the highest level), a RET value of less than 20 is required.

EN471 is the European standard relating to high visibility clothing for professional use. Like EN343, there are 3 classes of EN471 garments, Class 3 again being the highest. All require a significant amount of fluorescent fabric (yellow, orange or fluorescent red) and reflective tape.

EN471 is the European standard, and each country within the EU passes legislation determining where garments to this standard should be worn. The UK’s New Roads and Street Works Act (1991) stipulates that all staff working on roads must wear EN471 Class 2 or Class 3 clothing, and that EN471 Class 3 must be worn by staff working on roads with a 50mph speed limit and above.

The Home Office states that by Section 28(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, all School Crossing Patrols are required to wear a knee length outer garment with full sleeves, consisting of no more than two fluorescent colours covering the whole outer area of the garment (but may include non-fluorescent trimmings). The garment needs to be certified, by a notified body, to the highest Class of the standard for “High Visibility Warning Clothing”, currently EN471, Class 3. The garment must include at least two bands of hi vis tape on the torso and one 50mm band, not greater than 300mm from the hem of the body. School Crossing Patrols must also wear a peaked hat, a beret, or alternative headwear for religious reasons.

No, there are two main technologies – glass bead and prismatic. Both can offer EN471 conforming levels of reflectivity. However, tests show that with glass bead tape, the glass beads wear off over time and with washing, so that the reflective values drop dramatically. The reflectiveness of glass bead tape is also dramatically reduced in the rain. With prismatic technology, the tape retains its reflectivity for the lifetime of the garment, and gives exceptional performance in the rain.