Less than half of employers are confident employees can see adequately to drive

Employers are putting their employees and their company reputation at risk by not providing eyecare for employees who drive, according to research by Specsavers Corporate Eyecare.

The figures show that less than a third of employers (28%) have an eyecare policy for any of their drivers and just 16% have an eyecare policy for all drivers.

The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 makes it clear that employers have a responsibility for their drivers. The act requires employers to ‘take appropriate steps to ensure the health and safety of their employees and others who may be affected by their activities when at work. This includes the time when they are driving or riding at work, whether this is in a company or hired vehicle, or in the employee’s own vehicle’.

The employer’s duty of care refers to all drivers, whether they are employed specifically to drive as a main part of their role, or whether they are attending an occasional meeting.

The research shows, however, that of those employers who provide driver eyecare, many only do so for those performing certain driving roles, employees of a specific age, or those driving over a particular number of miles.

Moreover, less than half (47%) of employers surveyed were confident that their employees could see adequately to drive, stating they did not worry that some of their drivers may not have good enough eyesight for driving.

Jim Lythgow, director of strategic alliances at Specsavers Corporate Eyecare, said: “It is alarming that employers who are confident of their employees’ eyesight are in the minority.

“While many may wrongly assume that it is the individual’s responsibility alone to ensure their eyesight is adequate for driving, the HSE makes it quite clear that driving safety becomes a joint responsibility when driving for work purposes. With eye tests being so easily available and cost-effective, we would urge all employers to implement an eyecare policy for all drivers.”

He continued: “Aside from the emotional cost of any collision, an accident is likely to be expensive for a business, in terms of uninsured losses such as sick pay, temporary cover, legal expenses, lost time, increased premiums, etc.

“When also considering the risk to the business’s reputation of not having ensured the employee had adequate eyesight, to apply a blanket eyecare policy seems like the obvious thing to do.”