Can you define what you mean by "safety specs" a bit more?  If you mean the el cheapo ones that you can get for a £1 or so then the lenses are unlikely to be optically pure and if you have people looking at a DSE screen in them then headaches are going to be inevitable.  If you want people to wear them and be able to use a DSE screen then you need glasses with optically perfect lenses with no distortion or reflection or you are setting yourself and them up for a world of problems.  

Originally Posted by: thunderchild

Well they're not £1 glasses they are a bit more than that but they arenot the most expensive either. I have found some nice Bolle ones. Stupid question but how do I know if they are optically pure??? That sounds like the answer I am looking for.

'Optically pure' sounds like nonsense to me.

EN166 safety glasses lenses should be marked with their performance, eg '1FT', the first digit is the optical class, 1 is the best (refractive power of +/- 0.06 dioptre) and are specified in the standard as suitable for continuous wear.  Second character, eg 'F' is mechanical strength, subsequent characters are additional features eg T 'extreme tremperature range').

I'll be astonished if a pair pof Bolle glasses are not class 1 optical clarity.

achrn beat me to it , but anyway

Lens impact type markings ( ie EN 166 B = Medium)                                  

S          Increased robustness              (toughened glass and thickened CR39)

F          Low energy impact                 (polycarbonate and Trivex)

B          Medium energy impact                      

A          High energy impact               

9          Non-adherence of molten metal and resistance to penetration of hot solids                       

K          Resistance to damage by fine particles                    

N         Non-fogging properties                      

T          High speed particles at extremes of temperature                 

Areas of use ( Frame)                       

3          Liquids and chemical             

4          Large dust particles               

5          Gas and fine dust particles                

8          Short circuit electrical arc                  

9          Molten metals and hot solids             

Optical class                          

1          Continuous use                      

2          Intermittent use                      

3          Occasional use ( but must not be used continuously)                      

Note 1 - Safety glasses have side shields.               

Note 2 - Lenses will be marked with manufacturers mark, followed by optical class then impact grade                

Note 3 - Frames will have the standard EN166,  and -F if they claim it meets low energy impact plus the CE mark.              

Note 4 - Optical class for lenses 1 to 3 where 1 is the best              

Note 5 -  Complete unit marking say goggles will be marked EN166 1.B.3.4.9 - means optical 1,medium energy, for use for liquids, large dust and molten metal.                  

Note 6 - Goggles have a tendency to fog up easily, so trials may be appropriate ( and cheapest is normally not cost effective)

However as you have said you have class 1,  when they site at the computer with the safety glasses on is there any reflections form lights etc ( site there any try it yourself). Otherwise they claim there is nothing rong with their eyes then tell them to go to the doctors , but keep using the glasses. I have come accross these people before. sometime hard to establish if real or just whinging.

If they are a DSE user wouldn't you have a record of their eye test since you are expected to pay for it (and likely every two years after the initial examination)?

If you have never paid for an eye-test start from that perspective with a reputable provider to confirm what you are being told - typicallly the general public are only assessed for reading/driving/general vision all of which may be perfectly "normal".

Also consider if anything has changed - display screen station relocated or new light fittings installed - got caught by this one when we switched out existing lighting units for LED's

Have you done a DSE assessment?

Bear in mind that if the use of the DSE is only intermittent, they may not meet the legal definition of DSE users and so the requirements of the DSE Regs such as eye tests may not apply.  HSE interprets 'DSE users' as 'Workers who use DSE daily, for an hour or more at a time'.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/dse/index.htm

Is it absolutely necessary that he wear his glasses at the PC?  This is the problem with blanket PPE policies- you can’t make exceptions. I had a similar problem at a previous workplace where they had a blanket eye protection in all labs policy. Unfortunately nearly half the labs were just instrument based with no wet chemistry, and people spending their time analysing results in the PC. I just replaced the blanket ban with a risk assessment based policy. You might not be able to do that as you have been enforcing the blanket policy. You might also not trust your guys to wear their eyeprotection in the areas where they need to.

so we are to introduce a high risk activity resulting in the blanket policy affecting a low risk activity

can the inspection process be moved to a more suitable location e.g. behind a door that could bear a huge mandatory eye protection required beyond this point?

This is just the mess I have inherited! I was not the one who instigated the blanket eyewear rule, I just get the job of enforcing it and dealing with the fallout.

The inspectors need to ispect the builds in place, sometimes station by station. Currently the build is low so is the risk but we will be ramping up as will the risk.

He's trying yellow tints to see if this helps.