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Specsavers slams corporate eyesight laws
Date: 28 November 2012 | Author: Jack Carfrae
Specsavers Corporate Eyecare has called for an update of legislation concerning employee eyesight regulations.
The firm spoke to more than 200 public and private sector businesses and discovered that 37% of employers believed they were responsible for the eyesight of at-work drivers, 57% knew it was the responsibility of the individual and 6% didn't know at all.
Laura Butler, corporate account manager for Specsavers Corporate Eyecare, said: "This is a particularly confusing area of legislation. By law, each individual is responsible for ensuring they are fit to drive. However, employers have a duty of care.
"We are talking about the average employee who needs to drive to a meeting, to the post office or for a site visit; not professional drivers like couriers or lorry drivers.
"The regulations are ambiguous in that they appear to place responsibility on the individual but, if they are driving in the course of their work, this responsibility becomes shared with the employer.
"The actual vision requirements are equally confusing. If you pass the basic number plate test, you are legally allowed to drive. We want to highlight that there are, however, much more stringent eyesight tests that drivers are required to be able to pass."
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