Environmental Health, Safety and Emergency Management

Prescription Safety Glasses

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Purchasing Procedure

Employee Procedure

  1. Schedule an appointment with your vision care provider (optometrist, opthamologist).
  2. Select your desired frames from the list at NC State Employee Safety Contract Frame Selection. It can be helpful to your vision care provider if you bring a photo of the frames you have selected.
  3. Go to App State Customized Rx Safety Glasses Order Form, write in the frame style, and print out the form. Take it with you to your appointment.
  4. Ensure the vision care provider completes the form and includes any necessary additional information such as recommended features or add-ons (for example, lined or progressive multi-focal lenses, polarized lenses for extensive outdoor work, lightweight lenses for very high corrections, etc.)
  5. Provide the completed form to your department's YoMart "Requestor" (i.e. the person who places YoMart orders for your department).
  6. Your department's YoMart Requestor will obtain a quote and then complete the procurement in YoMart (see procedure below).
  7. Your vision care provider should notify you when the glasses arrive; once you have picked them up, be sure to let your departmental procurement representative know so that they can complete the YoMart transaction.

Departmental YoMart "Requestor" Procedure

  1. Fax request for quote along with the completed order form to Nash Optical Plant at 252-459-7500.
  2. Upon receiving the quote, initiate a YoMart requisition:
    1. Scan in completed prescription.
    2. For YoMart "Product Description," enter "Safety Glasses per attached prescription."
    3. For YoMart "Supplier," type "public safety," then select "North Carolina Department of Public Safety" from the options that appear.
    4. Include scanned order form and quote to YoMart requisition as an external attachment.
  3. After all necessary approvals are complete:
    1. App State Purchasing Office will fax/email the order to Nash Optical Plant via YoMart.
    2. Nash Optical Plant will fulfill the order and ship it to employee's vision care provider.
    3. Employee's vision care provider will contact employee to come in for a fitting.
  4. After employee has obtained the glasses, "Recieve" the order in YoMart.

Replacing Prescription Safety Glasses FAQs

EHS&EM frequently receives questions regarding State of North Carolina policies and procedures for replacing prescription safety glasses. We have summarized the information below in the form of questions and answers.

 

Q. The State of NC Prescription Safety Glasses Contract (effective 2002-2003) lists Prescription Safety Glasses with permanently-attached side shields as the only prescription safety glasses to be offered and purchased by state agencies. Why was this change made?
A. Side shields provide critical protection from flying particles or objects. Therefore OSHA requires side shields on all glasses used for protection from impact or flying particles. The State Contract for Safety Eyewear was amended to require side shields on all prescription safety glasses in order to protect North Carolina state employees.

 

Q. May employees purchase and use prescription safety glasses without permanently attached side shields when only frontal protection is required?
A. No, employees may not purchase and use prescription safety glasses without permanently attached side shields. In reality, there is no such thing as flying objects or particles that "only" travel directly frontwards towards the eyes.

 

Q. How often can an employee request and department purchase new prescription safety glasses for an employee?
A. Neither North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Administration (NCOSHA) nor North Carolina Office of State Personnel (NCOSP) specifies a frequency with which prescription glasses can be purchased. The frequency with which prescription safety glasses need replacing depends on the employee's job, prescription, work-related damage to eyewear, changes in the job (e.g. tinted lenses or nonconductive frames are needed), and other variables that are always subject to change. Each department has the responsibility to determine replacement schedules. At a minimum, new prescription safety glasses should be purchased when the employee's prescription changes; when the lenses are scratched or cracked; or when the frames no longer fit properly.

 

Q. Is there a maximum number of prescription safety glasses an employee may request and receive in a calendar year?
A. See previous answer.

 

Q. As an option, may departments require employees to use safety goggles or over-the-glasses ("OTG") safety spectacles instead of prescription safety glasses?
A. Safety goggles or OTG safety spectacles should not be substituted for prescription safety glasses unless:

  1. The employee prefers safety these over prescription safety glasses; or
  2. The need for safety glasses is infrequent (e.g. 3 times or less per day) and of short duration (e.g. 15 minutes or less).

If prescription safety glasses and safety goggles both are required PPE for the hazard (as documented by a job Hazard Assessment), then the department must purchase prescription safety glasses in addition to goggles. If the PPE Hazard Assessment for the job identifies safety goggles as required PPE, and prescription safety glasses are not required PPE, then the employer does not need to purchase prescription safety glasses in addition to goggles.