Should The Employer Provide Prescription Safety Glasses?
Is an employer required to provide prescription safety eyewear? Learn what OSHA requires, who pays, and when over-the-glasses safety glasses are an option.
By Livia Ilie, NOCRY product teamUpdated Oct 17, 20265 min
Employers must make sure workers exposed to eye hazards use suitable eye protection.
OSHA generally does not require employers to pay for non-specialty prescription safety eyewear if workers are allowed to wear it off the job.
Regular prescription glasses are not a substitute for proper safety eyewear.
Employers can use prescription safety glasses or protective eyewear that fits over regular glasses.
If over-the-glasses safety glasses are the required PPE, the employer generally needs to provide them at no cost.
What Does OSHA Require For Workers Who Wear Prescription Glasses?
Workers who need prescription lenses still need appropriate eye protection when their job exposes them to hazards such as flying particles, chemicals, molten metal, or harmful light.
OSHA allows several ways to accommodate workers who wear prescription glasses. Depending on the hazard and the type of PPE required, the options may include:
Prescription safety glasses: Safety glasses are made with the worker’s prescription lenses and are designed to provide the required protective performance.
Over-the-glasses (OTG) safety glasses: Protective safety glasses are worn over the worker’s regular prescription glasses. They must fit properly and should not interfere with the prescription frames.
Prescription safety goggles or other protective eyewear with prescription inserts: Some protective devices can accommodate a prescription insert behind the protective lens.
Other task-specific eye and face protection: Certain hazards may require goggles, welding protection, face shields, or other specialized PPE. The appropriate combination depends on the hazard.
Regular prescription glasses by themselves do not substitute for required protective eyewear. The employer must provide appropriate protection when the workplace presents an eye or face hazard, and the protection must be suitable for the conditions in which it is used.
For example, if a company provides ordinary safety glasses to employees, it can generally meet the prescription-glasses requirement by providing suitable OTG safety glasses or goggles that fit over the employee's regular glasses. OSHA specifically recognizes this as an alternative to prescription safety eyewear.
Does An Employer Have To Provide Prescription Safety Glasses?
Not necessarily. An employer generally does not have to pay for prescription safety glasses specifically. It can provide suitable OTG safety glasses or other compliant protection instead.
However, the employer cannot simply tell an employee to buy their own eye protection. The employer must provide the required workplace protection at no cost, subject to OSHA's specific exceptions for certain types of PPE.
So, if the employer provides suitable OTG safety glasses, the employee can use them with their own prescription glasses. If the employee prefers prescription safety glasses instead, the employer generally does not have to pay for that upgrade.
Some employers may choose to pay for prescription safety glasses as a company benefit or policy, but that is generally at the employer's discretion.
Are Prescription Safety Glasses Or OTG Glasses Better?
As long as they are proper, ANSI-rated products, both options can work well. Prescription safety glasses can be convenient for workers who need eye protection throughout most of the day. OTG safety glasses are often a simpler option for workers who want to keep wearing their existing prescription frames.
Another option for some workplaces is providing safety readers. These provide built-in magnification in standard strengths, allowing employers to keep different strengths available for workers who need them. However, they are not personalized prescriptions and may not be suitable for workers who require a specific prescription or correction.
How Should Safety Glasses Fit Over Prescription Glasses?
Safety glasses should fit securely and comfortably without interfering with the prescription glasses underneath. They should stay in place during normal movement and provide adequate coverage for the eyes.
When wearing OTG safety glasses, workers should check that:
The safety glasses do not push or displace the prescription frames.
The prescription glasses do not interfere with the protective lenses.
The safety glasses sit securely and do not slide off during normal work.
There are no obvious gaps or positioning issues that could compromise the protection.
They can see clearly and comfortably while wearing both pairs.
OSHA specifically requires protective eyewear worn over prescription lenses to do so without disturbing the proper position of either the prescription or protective lenses.
For employers, this means simply handing an employee a standard pair of safety glasses is not enough if those glasses cannot be worn properly with the employee's prescription frames.
An employer is not always required to buy prescription safety glasses. Under federal OSHA rules, non-specialty prescription safety eyewear may qualify for an exception to the usual employer-paid PPE rule.
The employer still has to make sure workers are properly protected. That can mean prescription safety glasses, OTG safety glasses, or another suitable form of protective eyewear, depending on the job and the hazard.
