TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
Complex requirements: simple solution
Jim Lythgow, director of strategic alliances at Specsavers Corporate Eyecare, discusses the implications of staring at screens.
Interpretation T
he health and safety regulations relating to display screen equipment (DSE) can be
extensive and complex. One requirement, for example, is that the employer must decide who counts as a ‘user’ of display screen equipment. Furthermore, are they a ‘habitual user’? In today’s high-tech world, it is not even a simple matter to decide what counts as ‘display screen equipment’. Are handheld devices included? What about smartphones? Laser projection devices?
It is not surprising, therefore, that recent research* carried out by Specsavers Corporate Eyecare indicates that employers often misunderstand or misinterpret the regulations. Indeed, less than half (47%) of the 138 employers asked felt they fully understood the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations.
Compliance
It may perhaps be understandable then that the research also revealed that less than a third of organisations surveyed (27%) felt they properly complied with the DSE regulations. Under the regulations, it is a requirement that the employer fully funds eye examinations for all screen users. If it is found, through this examination, that glasses are required specifically and solely for screen use, the employer must fund these too.
Our research shows that nearly half of employers surveyed (49%) merely offer a contribution towards DSE eyecare and a poor 10% expect the employee to wholly fund their own DSE eyecare.
Costly misconceptions
This perhaps comes from a false impression of the costs involved. The research revealed that a substantial 81% of employers surveyed would
58 | public sector executive Oct/Nov 14
expect to pay more than £20 per employee for DSE eyecare. The majority (53%) of employers stated that they would expect to pay more than £50 per employee for both the eye examination and glasses. In fact, the full eye examination and the DSE glasses together may be available for as little as £17.
Amid these misconceptions of the cost of DSE eyecare, many employers may well actually be paying these magnified costs. With the numbers of people employed within the public sector, this unnecessary overspend would be multiplied many times and the overspend is potentially huge.
Critical to the understanding of the funding of DSE eyecare is that employers may permit their employees to choose spectacles that go wider than purely correcting eye or vision defects for the purposes of the user’s work. If, however, users wish to choose more costly frames or lenses, not necessary for work, the employer is not obliged to pay the additional sum. The employer may decide to either provide only the basic spectacles or to contribute a portion of the cost, equal to that of the basic glasses.
Inclusion
While the regulations and their implications are complicated and involved, the solutions can actually be very simple. A policy of inclusion is the answer to the subjectivity of exactly who may or may not be covered by the regulations.
Specsavers’ view is that it can generally be more time- and cost-effective to provide a blanket eyecare policy, which includes the majority of, if not all, employees, than to spend time trying to exclude a disputable minority.
Low-cost
The second solution is intrinsically linked with the first. This is to provide a low-cost, set-cost scheme. The old adage of shopping around is
as true for eyecare as it is for most purchases.
There are many providers available, but the amounts they charge can vary hugely.
It is important to carefully consider different providers, ensuring that they offer: the highest possible levels of care from fully trained professionals; a good and trustworthy reputation; strong customer relations; easy administrative systems; opticians based in a location for ease of access; and a wide selection of glasses.
All this is possible, however, without needing to break the budget. Low-cost schemes are available that will allow the employer to implement an inclusive eyecare policy, which meets the needs of the employer and their employees.
Peace of mind
While it is important that employers get to grips with the intricacies of the DSE regulations, there is also peace of mind to be had in finding an eyecare solution that directly meets the needs of DSE eyecare, as part of the employer ensuring they meet their obligations.
*Research carried out by EMedia on behalf of Specsavers Corporate Eyecare in September 2014, among 138 heads of companies with HR or Health and Safety remits, representing a total of between 185,083 and 349,802 employees.
Nothing contained in this article amounts or shall be deemed to amount to the provision of legal advice and should not be relied upon as such.
Jim Lythgow FOR MORE INFORMATION
The HSE provides a free guide – Working With Display Screen Equipment (DSE) – at its website: W:
www.hse.gov.uk
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