Washington State University
SAFETY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES MANUAL

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Prescription Eyewear Program

This section describes procedures for departments electing to provide prescription safety glasses for employees exposed to flying fragments, chips and particles that may cause eye injuries.

Departments are required to provide eye protection for employees engaged in activities that produce objects which may enter the eye. See S30.10. However, departments are not required to purchase prescription safety glasses. The department may provide an alternate type of eye protection (e.g., goggles) instead of purchasing prescription safety glasses.

The department may consider prescription safety glasses for employees engaged in potentially hazardous activities such as:

• Grinding,
• Drilling,
• Cutting,
• Fastening,
• Sanding,
• Milling, and
• Turning.

The unit chair or director determines whether or not the department will provide prescription safety glasses. The unit chair or director also determines the amount of funding the department will provide toward the purchase of prescription safety glasses.

The supervisor conducts and documents a hazard assessment to determine if employees are exposed to eye impact hazards. See S30.10.

Environmental Health and Safety assists supervisors and employees with:

• Evaluating eye impact hazards, and
• Determining if safety eyewear is required.

The employee purchases the prescription safety glasses from his or her eye care professional. NOTE: WSU does not pay for the eye examination. Either the employee or the employee's insurance incurs this expense.

Upon receiving the safety glasses, the employee submits the receipt to her or his department for reimbursement.

The employing department processes the purchase of safety glasses as a "confirming purchase." See BPPM 70.20.

Prescription safety eyewear must be labeled or include documentation to indicate that it meets the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z87.1989 specifications.

All prescription safety glasses must be equipped with affixed or detachable side shields.