Table of Contents
- What is an Employer’s Legal Duty Towards Employee Health?
- Legal Duty to Provide Eye Tests for Vehicle Drivers
- Legal Duty to Provide Eye Tests for DSE or VDU Users
- When Eye Health is a Disability
- Further Points to Note About Eye Care
- Additional Considerations for Employee Eye Health
- Key Takeaways
- Frequently Asked Questions
In Short:
- Employers have a legal duty to support employee health, including eye health, particularly for drivers and DSE users.
- Employers must pay for eye tests upon request and cover the basic cost of glasses for DSE work if required.
- Implementing ergonomic practices and promoting the 20-20-20 rule can help reduce eye strain and improve well-being.
Tips for Businesses
Fulfil your legal obligations by providing eye tests and covering basic corrective appliance costs for DSE users. Proactively support eye health by educating employees on ergonomics, reducing screen glare, and encouraging regular screen breaks. Consider offering an eyecare scheme to streamline costs and enhance employee well-being.
As an employer, you have a legal duty of care toward your employee’s health, safety and well-being. To fulfil this duty, you must do all you reasonably can to support their well-being. Since your employees’ eyesight is part of their health, you may be responsible for supporting them with their eye health. Not meeting your legal obligations could result in getting into trouble with the Health and Safety Executive, so you must know what you should do. This article will explain what you, as an employer, need to know about caring for your employee’s eye health in the UK.
What is an Employer’s Legal Duty Towards Employee Health?
Your legal duty of care towards your employees means that you must do what is reasonable to ensure you support their health, safety and well-being. This includes:
- providing a safe working environment;
- ensuring that discrimination does not occur; and
- making sure that risk assessments take place.
Legal Duty to Provide Eye Tests for Vehicle Drivers
You are legally required to ensure that any employees who drive as part of their job or operate specialised machinery are fit to do so. While paying for your employee’s eye tests is not a legal requirement, you may wish to do so to ensure your employees undertake the requisite testing and are fit to carry out their duties.
Continue reading this article below the formLegal Duty to Provide Eye Tests for DSE or VDU Users
If your employees regularly use display screen equipment (DSE) such as monitors, or a visual display unit (VDU) as a significant part of their duties, you are legally obliged to provide an appropriate eye and eyesight test if your employee requests it. If this occurs, you should consider the following:
Arrange an Eye Test
If an employee requests an eye test, you should arrange and pay for both vision and eye examinations. Additionally, you may have an arrangement with a specific optician in place if it is likely that many of your employees require an eye test. As an employer, you will be responsible for the cost of the eye test.
Provide Glasses
If the eye test indicates that your employee has poor eye health, requiring them to wear special corrective appliances such as prescription glasses when using their DSE for work, then you must cover the basic cost of the glasses. On the other hand, if an ordinary prescription suffices, you are not legally required to pay for the glasses. In addition, if your employee wants to upgrade their frames or lenses, your employee would usually be required to pay these additional costs themselves.
As an employer, it is crucial to stay compliant with ever-evolving employment law. This factsheet outlines key changes in 2024 that will affect how you manage your workforce.
You must look after your employee’s eye health when they are a DSE user because DSE work can negatively affect their eyes, particularly when it concerns long periods of use. For example, it can cause:
- computer vision syndrome;
- itchy eyes;
- temporary short-sightedness; and
- headaches.
In addition to providing eye tests and covering the basic cost of glasses or other corrective appliances, you are also legally obliged to assess all your DSE workstations, which should indicate if there are any health risks. Ultimately, you are under a legal obligation to take action to reduce these risks.
When Eye Health is a Disability
If your employee’s eye health causes them to have a disability, you have further legal obligations. A disability is where your employee’s eye health:
- affects their ability to carry out typical day-to-day activities;
- is an issue which does or is expected to occur for at least 12 months; and
- has a ‘substantial adverse effect’ on their life.
If your employee’s eye health is a disability, you have legal obligations to:
- not to discriminate against them because of their disability; and
- make reasonable adjustments, which means making changes to their job that help reduce or remove any issues that prevent them from carrying out their job role.
We recommend that you seek the guidance of Occupational Health, your employee’s GP or an optician when considering workplace adjustments for a disabled employee.
Further Points to Note About Eye Care
There are other valuable points you should be aware of regarding how you need to care for your employer’s eyes. Firstly, you are legally required to arrange and pay for an eye test upon your employee’s request, even if they:
- are new to your business; and
- had an eye test for their DSE use at their previous workplace.
Lastly, the requirement is merely for you to pay for the lens and a bare frame. So, if your employee wants a more expensive frame, you do not have to pay the difference.
Additional Considerations for Employee Eye Health
While meeting your legal obligations is crucial, there are additional steps you can take to support your employees’ eye health that go beyond the minimum requirements, such as:
- educating your employees by providing information and training on proper ergonomics and emphasising the importance of taking regular breaks when using DSE;
- implementing the 20-20-20 rule by encouraging employees to follow the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away (approx. 6 metres). This may help reduce eye strain associated with prolonged screen use;
- optimising lighting by ensuring that your office has appropriate lighting that does not cause glare on screens. You may wish to consider installing adjustable lighting or providing anti-glare screens for monitors; and
- utilising blue light filters. While the long-term effects of blue light from screens are still being studied, offering blue light filtering software or glasses may provide additional comfort for employees who spend long hours in front of screens.
By going beyond the minimum legal requirements, you not only protect your employees’ eye health but also demonstrate your commitment to their overall well-being. This can increase job satisfaction, improve productivity, and reduce absenteeism related to eye strain or vision problems.
Key Takeaways
As an employer, you have a legal duty to take reasonable steps to support your employee’s health, safety and well-being. In most instances, this includes your employee’s eye health. You also have a legal obligation to provide your employees with eye tests if they:
- drive or operate specialised machinery; and
- use display screen equipment (DSE) or a visual display unit (VDU).
If you need help understanding your duties regarding your employee’s eye health, our experienced employment lawyers can assist as part of our LegalVision membership. For a low monthly fee, you will have unlimited access to lawyers to answer your questions and draft and review your documents for a low monthly fee. So call us today on 0808 196 8584 or visit our membership page.
Frequently Asked Questions
The 20-20-20 rule is an eye care guideline that recommends taking a 20-second break every 20 minutes to look at something 20 feet away. This practice is important because it helps reduce eye strain associated with prolonged screen use by giving your eyes a chance to refocus and relax.
While employers cannot force employees to have eye tests, they can strongly encourage them, especially for regular DSE users. As an employer, you should provide eye tests upon request for regular DSE users, but you cannot make them mandatory. However, you can include eye tests as part of your health and safety policy and emphasise their importance in maintaining overall employee well-being.
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