If you have just hired a school crossing guard to manage traffic at your school and to help young students who need to cross the surrounding streets, you might be interested in the following suggestions.

Get them some hi-vis workwear

You must get this new employee some hi-vis workwear. One lightweight hi-vis vest and one hi-vis raincoat should suffice, as the person will then have a hi-vis piece of outerwear for both the dry and wet seasons. This will ensure that on dark or misty early mornings, when parents are doing the school drop-off, they will still be able to see the crossing guard and any students this person is helping cross the street, even if the crossing guard drops or forgets to hold their reflective 'stop' sign. This should then reduce the likelihood of the students or the crossing guard being hit.

Having this workwear should also make your crossing guard feel safer and more confident about standing in the centre of any streets that are adjacent to the school in order to stop oncoming traffic so the children can safely cross, as they'll know they will be visible, regardless of the weather and lighting conditions. If the crossing guard feels hesitant and nervous about stepping out onto the street on a dark or misty morning because they're afraid they'll get run over, they are more likely to suffer from stress and may also take a lot longer to guide the students across the streets, in which case the students may end up occasionally being late for their classes.

Make sure the uniform you provide includes the right type of hat

It's a good idea to provide the new crossing guard with a waterproof hi-vis hat with a fairly wide brim. Aside from making them more visible, this hat will ensure that the crossing guard's vision is not impaired by strong sunlight or by heavy rain; this is critical, as they will struggle to guide your students across the streets safely if they cannot see properly.

If the hat is waterproof with a wide brim, it will also make the crossing guard a little more comfortable when they're working in the rain and cannot use an umbrella (as they'll need to use their hands to hold their sign and to gesture to oncoming traffic). It will also enable to avoid getting sunburnt on their face on sunny days.

Talk to a hi-vis workwear supplier to learn more.