Safety vests are typically classified according to their intended use and the level of risk involved in the environment where they will be worn. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has established a classification system for safety vests in terms of visibility requirements:

Class 1 Safety Vests: These vests are meant for environments where traffic does not exceed 25 mph, and workers can pay attention to oncoming traffic. This class is suitable for occupations like parking service attendants or workers in shopping centers.

Class 2 Safety Vests: Designed for environments where visibility is crucial. Workers who use these vests are often in areas where traffic exceeds 25 mph, like road construction workers, crossing guards, and airport ground crews.

Class 3 Safety Vests: These vests provide the highest level of visibility and are used in high-risk environments where traffic exceeds 50 mph, or in conditions of poor visibility. Road construction and utility workers often wear this class of vests.

Public Safety Vests: This class is designed for first responders like firefighters, police, and emergency medical services. These vests have specific color codes: red for fire, blue for police, and green for EMS.