Employers and Eye Tests

[Dee]

What are employers legally obliged to do, if anything?

You know the story, I sit in front of a computer 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for my job. I had an eye test last week, and my eyesight has deteriorated since my last test two years ago. I have ordered two pairs of specs, plus the test, which totals about £150.

How much of this can I, or should I, be trying to claw back from the company?

[Del Lardo]

Depends on company policy. I can claim back one eye test/year and £100 per pair of glasses with a limit of one claim a year.

[Burble]

Here's the relevant bit of the Display Screen Equipment Regulations 1992:

Eyes and eyesight
5.—(1) Where a person-

(a) is already a user on the date of coming into force of these Regulations; or

(b) is an employee who does not habitually use display screen equipment as a significant part of his normal work but is to become a user in the undertaking in which he is already employed,

his employer shall ensure that he is provided at his request with an appropriate eye and eyesight test, any such test to be carried out by a competent person.

(2) Any eye and eyesight test provided in accordance with paragraph (1) shall-

(a) in any case to which sub-paragraph (a) of that paragraph applies, be carried out as soon as practicable after being requested by the user concerned; and

(b) in any case to which sub-paragraph (b) of that paragraph applies, be carried out before the employee concerned becomes a user.


(3) At regular intervals after an employee has been provided with an eye and eyesight test in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (2), his employer shall, subject to paragraph (6), ensure that he is provided with a further eye and eyesight test of an appropriate nature, any such test to be carried out by a competent person.

(4) Where a user experiences visual difficulties which may reasonably be considered to be caused by work on display screen equipment, his employer shall ensure that he is provided at his request with an appropriate eye and eyesight test, any such test to be carried out by a competent person as soon as practicable after being requested as aforesaid.

(5) Every employer shall ensure that each user employed by him is provided with special corrective appliances appropriate for the work being done by the user concerned where-

(a) normal corrective appliances cannot be used; and

(b) the result of any eye and eyesight test which the user has been given in accordance with this regulation shows such provision to be necessary.

(6) Nothing in paragraph (3) shall require an employer to provide any employee with an eye and eyesight test against that employee's will.

The emphasis is mine.

At my place we pay for sight tests every 12 months and contribute £50 per year for glasses or contact lenses.

My understanding is that an employer is obliged to pay for the sight test but not obliged to contribute to glasses or contact lenses.

[Dee]

Thanks both, I dont think we have a policy in place with regards to employers putting money towards new frames or contacts, but I thought the least they had to do was cover the cost of the eye test.

[Del Lardo]

Looks like you're covered for reclaming the test money

http://www.workingrights.co.uk/should-company-pay-eye-sight-tests.html


You can only claim for the glasses if you need them specifically to work on a computer.

[Daz]

Our place covers eye tests every 2 years :)

[Dee]

Looks like you're covered for reclaming the test money

http://www.workingrights.co.uk/should-company-pay-eye-sight-tests.html


You can only claim for the glasses if you need them specifically to work on a computer.

Brill, thanks :)

[BBx]

I got £50 off my specs and £20 towards my eye test! :D

Just aswell, because they have changed/deleted a lot of the policies recently.

BB x

[Dee]

I only work for a small firm of 100 or so people, I doubt Ill even get the money for the test back, but Ill bloody well give it a go :)

[Kell_ee001]

you should always check the company policy before you have the eye test. With ours, we have company wide vouchers with a particular optician chain, and if you go anywhere else, they won't pay. You need to get the voucher before you go, then present it. They won't pay for it retrospectively because it's up to you to ask for it.


Our place is the same :)

[Del Lardo]

I only work for a small firm of 100 or so people, I doubt Ill even get the money for the test back, but Ill bloody well give it a go :)

If they refuse you can point out that they are in breach of the Health and Safety Regulations Act 1992 and I suspect that will get their attention.

No idea who'd you would report that to or whether you'd want to potentially get yourself noticed as a trouble maker in the current climate for the sake of ~£25 so good luck!

[Muban]

This was confusing me, I was thinking to myself.... but eye tests are free :confused: Turns out that is only in Scotland, personally I think this should be accross the whole of the UK. We get £60 towards lenses or glasses. Must remember to book myself in soon for a test, though hopefully I won't need any glasses.

[lostkat]

I rang Occupational Health and asked if I could go for an eye test. They took me in and got me to look into this ancient light box thing and then told me that it wasn't perfect, but it's not that bad either and refused me a proper eye test. This is a blue chip company who employs tens of thousands of people ffs. Absolutely useless!