In situations where safety eyewear is required, Specsavers Corporate Eyecare believes there are five key factors in enabling employers to make the most of their provision and find an eyecare solution that works successfully for employee and employer alike:
With so many people needing corrected vision, it makes sense to provide a sight test before supplying safety eyewear. If the employee needs glasses, then it is possible to provide prescription safety glasses. These are often a much better solution than over goggles, which can be uncomfortable and can cause light refraction from the two sets of lenses. There are also many wider benefits to a full eye examination, which have implications for overall health and wellbeing.
It is essential that safety eyewear is comfortable. If not, then it is far more likely to be removed than well-fitting eyewear. One of the best ways to ensure that safety eyewear is comfortable is for each individual to be allowed to actually try on a range of options before purchase in a store. This is less easy to arrange if procuring eyewear from a catalogue via online.
A professional fitting service for safety eyewear will not only help to improve the comfort of safety glasses, it will also ensure that they are fit for purpose, for example, being correctly adjusted around the temples and the bridge of the nose. Some opticians will offer this service as standard as part of their safety eyewear offering.
There are various options open to the employer for administering safety eyewear. The simplest and most cost-effective option is often to provide eyecare vouchers. Some procurement systems allow the purchase of eVouchers, specifically for safety eyewear needs, and the distribution, redemption and management of the eyecare eVouchers, all electronically, in one place, with the click of just a few buttons.
There are many benefits attached to the basic obligatory provision of safety eyewear. Employers who provide eye examinations are also providing wider health benefits – as eye examinations can detect and monitor serious conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, risk of stroke and various cancers. Eyecare providers may also offer additional benefits to corporate customers, like money-off vouchers for their everyday eyewear. Careful choice of supplier can turn a health and safety obligation into a valued employee benefit. In turn, it makes sense for this benefit to be communicated to employees in order to be taken up and appreciated.
All employers must, of course, carry out a full risk assessment regarding the need for safety eyewear and must first try to eliminate the risk by implementing other controls.
For more information visit www.specsavers.co.uk/corporate
