Canadian Occupational Safety

20 Canadian Occupational Safety www.cos-mag.com P rescription eyewear programs come in a variety of forms. Some even eliminate the usual employee appointment with an eyeglass specialist. For example, one eyewear retailer introduced a program that simply required its representative to drive from one company to another in his pick-up truck. At each site, the employees, ready with their prescrip- tions, would gather to meet him and be fi tted with the proper frames. A week later, he would return to deliver their new glasses. It is essential to provide prescrip- tion safety eyewear to ensure all workers see their workplace — and its hazards — clearly. However, prescrip- tion safety glasses are very expensive and the process can be time consum- ing. Instead, many companies choose to join a safety eyewear program. By agreeing to buy all prescription glasses through one provider, they hope to reduce both costs and paperwork. Program providers range from the provincial optometrists' associations and the Opticians' Association of Canada to safety eyewear manufactur- ers and chain stores. While the various programs have certain procedures in common, they often provide different services, different payment options and, ultimately, different prices. THE NOT-FOR-PROFIT OPTION Edmonton-based Eyesafe is a safety eyewear program run by the Alberta Association of Optometrists through their membership. The association approaches employers in Alberta and sells the program as a way to provide personal protective equipment to their employees, says Brian Furman, director of vision care programs. The program, which is free to join, works through an online system. Workers tell the safety manager when they need a new pair of prescription glasses. The manager then goes to the Eyesafe website and creates and prints off a work ticket, or requisition form. The manager — based on a work hazard assessment of the employee's work tasks and environment — will include on the form information about the kind of frames and lenses the worker is supposed to wear (such as whether different coatings or tints are allowed). "The work ticket asks for a descrip- tion of duties because we need to know, is this worker digging in a mine with a shovel all day or is he climb- ing up a power pole? If he works with electricity, it's good to know that we shouldn't put him in a metal frame," Furman says. "Sometimes, a worker will come in and say he wants tinted lenses. We'll call the safety supervisor and ask whether this person can have tinted lenses. 'No, he's a mechanic. He works indoors. Why would he want tinted lenses?' Or vice versa: 'He works outdoors all day; yes, he can have tinted lenses.'" The employee takes the ticket to an optometrist. The doctor types the work ticket number into the online system to access the employee's company information and other information needed to determine what kind of frames and lenses the worker is supposed to wear. The optometrist orders the glasses and when ready, the worker picks them up at the doctor's offi ce. Once a month, Eyesafe sends a bill to the company for its usage. Furman says of the 300 companies in the Eyesafe program, about one- half pay the full cost of the glasses, while the rest cost-share with the employee. For example, the employer will cover up to $200 and the worker pays anything over that. "It depends on how well they're doing. Generally, the large ones — like Imperial Oil and Suncor — cover the whole cost without question. Some of the littler companies will ask their guys to cost-share with them," he says. Similar prescription eyewear pro- grams, administered by the Canadian Association of Optometrists, are available in other provinces, except Quebec. Because services are pro- vided by optometrists, the programs run by the associations provide a higher level of health care than other programs, Furman says. The cost is also more reasonable; their not- for-profi t status means that frames, By Linda Johnson Optometrists' associations, safety manufacturers, chain stores all offer different solutions for prescription eye protection

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