Glass prescription safety glasses outlawed

The specific needs of workers who wear prescription glasses are addressed in the current version of the prescription eye protector standard - AS/NZS 1337.6:2007 but, until recently, this has been overlooked by many workplaces. In February, a policy statement was released by the WA Department of Labour Relations reinforcing the requirements outlined in this standard, leaving non-compliant workplaces and their employees exposed.

Workers aged over 40 years and their colleagues can face increased safety risks as an age-related condition known as presbyopia affects their eyesight, but Ron Greenwood of OPTX Australasia says the warning signs are often ignored: “Understandably, workers who experience symptoms of vision degradation might not always admit it. Older workers sometimes delay getting their eyes tested, knowing that test results may indicate a need for prescription glasses. Employers rarely take the initiative in offering on-site eye testing for all workers other than for a pre-employment medical exam, regardless of age.”

Greenwood believes the old Australian Standard may have been part of the problem. Before the new AS/NZS 1337.6:2007: ‘Personal eye protection - Prescription eye protectors against low and medium impact’, prescription safety glasses could only be legally manufactured to low-impact standards.

Millions of workers who need glasses for reading but whose job exposed them to medium-impact hazards, like machining and grinding metals, could then only wear special prescription inserts under their goggles or wear safety ‘over-spectacles’ on top of their normal prescription glasses.

“To date, I have not been able to confirm, and am not convinced, that there is any such thing as an ‘over-spectacle’ that has been tested in accordance with Australian standard requirements,” Greenwood says. “Methods resorted to by industry have resulted in problems such as fogging, restricted vision and restricted movements, uncomfortable wear and not to mention an unsightly look - all of which resulted in decreased wearing compliance by employees.”

The policy stipulates that prescription safety glasses comply with medium-impact requirements, including:

• No glass lenses, even if hardened, can meet the new standard.
• The frames, not just the lenses, must also meet certain requirements. Because of the cost of compliance testing, it is unlikely that many fashion frames will be labelled as meeting safety glass standards.
• Both the lenses and the frame will have indicators on them to enable safety authorities to check that any spectacles worn comply with impact protection standards.

The change to AS/NZS 1337.6 also requires manufacturers of prescription safety glasses to be licensed. Commenting on this requirement, Greenwood says: “This is a great benefit to employees as end users because it will ensure higher quality products for better protection. Employers will also be better off as all products will be traceable to the manufacturer.”

Industrial prescription safety glasses from certified manufacturers will carry a number of specific markings on the lens and frames and a certificate with the manufacturer’s licence number for tracking if required.

The cost of new or replacement prescription safety glasses that must meet the standard are expected to be borne by employers, who have a duty of care to provide protective equipment for workers.

Greenwood says the WA government's policy has set a legal precedent on prescription safety glasses for workers: “It stipulates that government agencies fund prescription safety glasses where required, once workers provide medical confirmation that prescription glasses are needed. The cost to employers can be high, but many workers who require corrective vision for reading only can apply magnifying stick-on lenses to standard safety glasses.

“Optometrist-prescribed bifocal safety glasses generally range from $300 to $600 per worker, whereas purchasing the appropriate strength stick-on magnifying lens and a pair of safety glasses can effectively be less than $50. If 100 workers in 1000 at a manufacturing facility are in need of prescription safety glasses, the cost savings could be in the tens of thousands of dollars.”

Greenwood suggests employers address common misconceptions regarding the use of protective eyewear and prescription eyewear in an industrial environment:

• The long-term use of eye protectors, which meet the requirements of AS/NZS 1337 and AS/NZS 1338 and are selected and fitted in accordance with AS 1336, will not harm or weaken the eyes of the wearer.
• Eye protectors with tinted lenses that conform to AS/NZS 1337 will provide protection against sun glare and solar ultraviolet radiation equivalent to that of general-purpose sunglasses that conform to AS 1067.1.
• There is no additional risk to wearers of contact lenses from any radiation arising from any welding process or operation such as exposure to arc flash. AS 1336 provides more information about the use of contact lenses in industrial workplaces.
• Prescription spectacles may not provide adequate low impact protection unless they are produced in accordance with Section 7 of AS 1336.