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Contact Lens Use in the Workplace
Using contact lenses instead of prescription eyeglasses can provide workers with more choices for eye and face protection, better “visual ergonomics” when worn inside a full- facepiece respirator, and sometimes better visual acuity. However, employers may wonder whether the use of contact lenses is appropriate when employees work with hazardous substances.
Cal/OSHA prohibits contact lens use in hazardous environments except when special precautions outlined by a physician have been established for the potentially exposed employee (see T8 CCR §3382 Eye and Face Protection - http://www.dir.ca.gov/title8/3382.html). Federal OSHA, on the other hand, has no such prohibition.
In a June 2005 Current Intelligence Bulletin, The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommended that contact lens use be permitted in the workplace if employers follow the safety precautions below:
- Conduct an eye injury hazard evaluation in the workplace.
- Provide suitable eye and face protection for all workers exposed to eye injury hazards, regardless of contact lens wear.
- Establish a written policy documenting general safety requirements for wearing contact lenses, including the eye and face protection required and any contact lens wear restrictions by work location or task.
- Comply with current OSHA regulations on contact lens wear and eye and face protection.
- Notify workers and visitors about any defined areas where contact lenses are restricted.
- Identify to supervisors all contact lens wearers working in chemical environments.
- Train medical and first aid personnel.
- Begin eye irrigation immediately and remove contact lenses as soon as practical when there is an eye exposure.
- Instruct workers who wear contact lenses to remove the lenses at the first signs of eye redness or irritation.
- Evaluate restrictions on contact lens wear on a case-by-case basis.
The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) also allows the use of contact lenses with certain precautions and restrictions.
Cal OSHA regulations recommend against contact lens use in the following standards:
Remember, contact lenses are not intended to be worn as protective devices. Whether employees wear some type of corrective lenses or not, it is important to ensure that they wear appropriate eye protection whenever there is a risk of eye injury (e.g., from flying particles, hazardous substances, projections, or injurious light rays) or where there is a potential exposure to biological hazards (such as bloodborne pathogens).
Resources
ACOEM, Use of Contact Lenses in an Industrial Environment http://www.acoem.org/guidelines.aspx?id=570
NIOSH Current Intelligence Bulletin 59; Contact Lens Use in a Chemical Environment; http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2005-139/
American Welding Society, Fact Sheet Number 12: Contact Lens Wear;
http://files.aws.org/technical/facts/FACT-12.PDF
The above evaluations and/or recommendations are for general guidance only and should not be relied
upon for legal compliance purposes. They are based solely on the information provided to us and relate
only to those conditions specifically discussed. We do not make any warranty, expressed or implied, that your workplace is safe or healthful or that it complies with all laws, regulations or standards.
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