03/06/2010 - Firms failing staff over eye care
Almost nine in every 10 businesses are failing to carry out their legal obligations to protect their staff's eyesight, a study claims.
The poll found 89% of British firms are falling short of meeting the minimum requirements that aim to offer staff who regularly use computer screens some basic protection.
National sight charity, the Eyecare Trust, and healthcare provider, Simplyhealth, said office workers spend 128,740 hours staring at a screen during their working lifetime, with 90% regularly suffering "screen fatigue" - headaches, sore or tired eyes, impaired colour perception and blurred vision.
To combat the visual stress associated with prolonged screen use, the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations place a legal obligation on all employers to care for the eye health of staff who regularly use a VDU (computer screen) at work.
However, the ScreenSmart study found 44% of employers fail to meet even the most basic element of the legislation such as providing regular sight tests, and one in ten has no eye care policy at all.
The worst offenders are small businesses employing fewer than ten people. One in five make absolutely no provision for eye care, only a third offer to pay for sight tests and just a quarter say they ensure workstations are designed to minimise glare or reflections - two factors that can trigger screen fatigue and cause visual trauma.
One in five big businesses failed to pay for regular sight tests and 40% said they would refuse to make a contribution towards the cost of spectacles required solely for VDU work.
Copyright © Press Association 2010
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