Human Resources

Prescription safety spectacles

The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations require that, where a member of staff is exposed to a risk to their health and safety, appropriate measures are put in force to control the risk. Where this cannot be achieved by other methods appropriate personal protective equipment must be issued at no cost to the employee, its use must be enforced.

It has become custom and practice, in departments where members of staff wear prescription spectacles, for the department to fund an eyesight test and suitable prescription safety spectacles if the work undertaken requires safety spectacles to be worn.

To ensure the cost effectiveness and correct issue of safety spectacles, the University has made arrangements with Specsavers, Commercial Road, Portsmouth for the provision of appropriate spectacles to members of staff who normally wear prescription spectacles whilst carrying out their work.

Procedure

The head of department should notify the Health and Safety Office by email that (NAME) requires prescription safety spectacles for their work giving a cost code. The individual concerned will be sent the appropriate paperwork and requested to make arrangements with Specsavers in Commercial Road, Portsmouth, to have their eyes tested. Specsavers have been requested to issue the employee with prescription safety spectacles, which carry the same type of lens that is normally worn. The current costs are single vision £45, standard bifocal £69.95 and large segment bifocal or standard varifocal £69.95. The eyesight test cost is currently £17. The paperwork that must be taken to Specsavers consists of the following:

Form HS5A which is in triplicate:-
Top copy (white) will be retained by Specsavers
Second copy (yellow) to be returned to Health and Safety Office and
Third copy (pink) to be returned to the budget holder
Safety eyewear purchase order form

In the event of the employee damaging their safety spectacles to the extent that replacement spectacles are required, the employee should refer to the Safety Office, which will arrange for replacement glasses to be provided at a cost to the Safety Office.

The employee will be notified when a retest of their eyesight is required. The cost of the test and spectacles if required will be charged to the employing department. The interval between tests is normally 24 months.