Eyecare for Employees
Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Regulations anyone who regularly uses a display screen for work must be provided with appropriate eyecare.
As computers are now used in the majority of working roles, there are very few employees who will not fall under the regulations.
Who is covered?
The basic rule is that anyone who regularly uses a Visual Display Unit (VDU) is entitled to company-funded eye tests and must be provided with glasses, if required for screen use.
The specifics as to who is covered include if they have no choice but to use a VDU for their work, if they normally use the VDU for near-continuous periods of more than one hour at a time and if the VDU is generally used daily.
Many employers find it is often better to include everyone in a cost-effective blanket scheme, than to spend a disproportionate amount of time and money trying to exclude an individual.
Frequency VDU eye tests should be offered before an employee commences VDU work and then at regular intervals determined by the optician.
Who pays?
The employer must fund the eye test. If it is found that glasses are required for screen use, then the cost of these must also be met wholly by the employer. This is only the case when glasses are needed specifically to view the VDU and where the employee’s own glasses are not appropriate.
Read More
Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (as amended) Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007- 2020
Disclaimer :
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of matters covered by this article, no responsibility for loss or damage occasioned by any person acting, or refraining from acting, as a result of matters above. Professional advice should always be sought before acting on any interpretation of matters covered by this article.
20 October 2022