RIS-3279-TOM

What RIS-3279-TOM is

RIS-3279-TOM is the UK rail industry standard for high-visibility clothing worn by anyone working on or near the railway trackside. Unlike the EN standards covered elsewhere in this series, it is not a European-wide standard — it’s a rail-sector-specific specification, applicable only within the UK rail industry, that builds additional, stricter requirements on top of the general European hi-vis standard, EN ISO 20471.

It replaced the earlier Railway Group Standard GO/RT 3279 in 2017, as part of an industry-wide move toward updated, more rigorously defined safety standards. The current in-force version is generally referred to as RIS-3279-TOM Issue 2, which came into force in 2019, was reviewed and confirmed as fit for purpose in 2020, with the next scheduled review due in 2025.

Purpose

The standard exists to ensure that anyone working on or near the line is sufficiently visible to approaching trains and other trackside traffic or vehicles, given the specific risks of the rail environment — trains cannot swerve or stop quickly, and trackside workers need to be identifiable at a distance and from multiple angles, in a wide range of lighting and weather conditions.

Relationship to EN ISO 20471

RIS-3279-TOM does not replace EN ISO 20471 — it works alongside it, adding rail-specific requirements on top of the general European hi-vis framework:

• Garment background material, retroreflective material, and overall design must meet EN ISO 20471 requirements as a baseline.
• RIS-3279-TOM then narrows and raises those requirements specifically for rail use — most notably on colour and minimum class.

A garment cannot be RIS-3279-TOM compliant without first meeting the underlying EN ISO 20471 requirements — the rail standard is additive, not a standalone alternative.

Colour: why orange, and how precisely it’s defined

This is one of RIS-3279-TOM’s most distinctive requirements. While EN ISO 20471 permits three background colours — yellow, orange-red, and red — RIS-3279-TOM restricts rail hi-vis to orange only, and defines that orange far more precisely than the general EN standard does:

• The standard specifies precise chromaticity co-ordinates: Fluorescent orange, x: 0.588, y: 0.371
• A minimum luminance factor of 0.4 is required
• Colour tolerance follows the same allowance as EN ISO 20471, but there is no tolerance permitted on the luminance factor — it’s a hard minimum
• This precise definition exists specifically to prevent manufacturers drifting toward the red end of the permitted EN ISO 20471 orange-red spectrum, which would produce a duller, less conspicuous garment than intended

The reasoning behind restricting to orange specifically (rather than yellow, which is common in other sectors like construction and highways) is that orange provides strong, consistent contrast against the full range of backgrounds found in rail environments — both rural and urban — helping train drivers identify workers reliably and immediately. Yellow, while acceptable under general EN ISO 20471 use, is not accepted for rail work under this standard.

Minimum visibility class

RIS-3279-TOM requires garments to meet at least EN ISO 20471 Class 2 — the mid-point of the standard’s three-class scale (Class 1 to Class 3):

• Class 2 minimum coverage: 0.50 m² fluorescent background material, 0.13 m² retroreflective material
• Higher-risk rail environments or roles may call for Class 3 garments instead, offering greater coverage and visibility from more angles — the correct class for a given role should still be determined by a proper risk assessment, but Class 2 is the regulatory floor for rail trackside work, not an optional minimum.
• Layering is permitted, but at least one outer layer must independently meet full Class 2 (or higher) requirements and remain visible at all times — for example, wearing Class 1 trousers is acceptable only if the outer jacket meets Class 2 on its own and isn’t obscured by another garment.

Retroreflective material requirements

Beyond the EN ISO 20471 baseline, RIS-3279-TOM specifies that reflective tape must meet the highest photometric performance criteria defined within EN ISO 20471 — commonly cited as a reflective tape reading of ≥330 cd/lx·m². This higher bar exists because rail workers often need to be identified by train drivers at greater distances and higher closing speeds than typical road-traffic hi-vis scenarios require.

Branding, logos, and mini-vests

• Company names or logos are permitted only where they do not reduce the garment’s required visible fluorescent or reflective surface area — branding cannot be placed over or in place of mandated high-visibility material.
• The treatment of “mini-vests” (a smaller supplementary hi-vis item, sometimes worn where a full garment would obscure other necessary equipment) has evolved between issues of the standard. Under some earlier guidance, a mini-vest was permitted if it independently met Class 2 colour, visibility, and retroreflection requirements; more recent commentary on Issue 2 indicates the mini-vest exception has been tightened or removed, with garments below full Class 2 no longer accepted as standalone items. Given this is an area that has changed between issues, always verify current mini-vest allowances against the specific, currently in-force issue of RIS-3279-TOM rather than older secondary sources (including this document).
• Controlled deviations from the standard’s requirements are possible in specific circumstances (for example, certain approved charity or memorial patches), but only through a formal deviation process — not as a general allowance.

Testing and certification

Garments referencing RIS-3279-TOM are typically type-approved and CE marked in conjunction with an evaluation against EN ISO 13688 (the general standard covering physical, design, physiological, and health/hygiene requirements for protective clothing), alongside the EN ISO 20471 and RIS-3279-TOM-specific colour and photometric testing. Testing typically includes:

• Spectrophotometer measurement of background fabric chromaticity and luminance
• Colour fastness and mechanical strength testing of the background material
• Pre-treatment and durability testing of retroreflective tape (temperature cycling, cleaning, abrasion, simulated rainfall) to confirm performance is maintained over the garment’s working life

Care and maintenance

As with general hi-vis clothing, fluorescent colour and retroreflective performance degrade with washing, wear, and UV exposure over time:

• Always follow the manufacturer’s care label instructions and maximum wash-cycle guidance
• Garments should be replaced before reaching their specified maximum wash cycle count, not merely when visibly degraded
• Store garments away from direct sunlight when not in use, to reduce colour fade

What RIS-3279-TOM does NOT cover

• It does not apply outside the UK rail sector — it has no standing as a general hi-vis requirement for construction, highways, or other industries, which remain governed by EN ISO 20471 alone (typically in yellow or orange-red, not the specific rail orange).
• It does not address any hazard beyond visibility — it provides no thermal, chemical, arc flash, or mechanical protection; rail workers with additional hazard exposure (e.g. electrical risk from trackside equipment) need separately certified PPE for those risks, worn in combination with RIS-3279-TOM compliant hi-vis.
• Meeting EN ISO 20471 Class 2 alone, in yellow or standard orange-red, does not satisfy RIS-3279-TOM — the specific chromaticity, luminance floor, and orange-only colour restriction are additional, mandatory requirements on top of the base EN standard.
• Given the standard has been revised (GO/RT 3279 → RIS-3279-TOM, and subsequent issues within RIS-3279-TOM itself, e.g. mini-vest rules), older documentation or older-issue certificates shouldn’t be assumed current — always confirm against the specific issue number referenced on a garment’s label or certificate.

Quick summary

Aspect	RIS-3279-TOM detail
Scope	UK rail industry only (not EU-wide)
Supersedes	GO/RT 3279 (replaced 2017)
Current issue	Issue 2 (in force since 2019; last reviewed 2020; next review due 2025)
Base standard	Builds on EN ISO 20471 — not a standalone alternative
Colour	Fluorescent orange only (x: 0.588, y: 0.371, min. luminance factor 0.4, no tolerance on luminance)
Minimum class	EN ISO 20471 Class 2 (0.50m² background / 0.13m² retroreflective) or higher
Retroreflective performance	Highest EN ISO 20471 photometric tier (commonly cited ≥330 cd/lx·m²)
Branding	Permitted only if it doesn’t reduce required visible area
Layering rule	At least one outer layer must independently meet Class 2+ and stay visible
Doesn’t cover	Any hazard beyond visibility; non-rail sectors; yellow/standard orange-red hi-vis